Abstract1,1-Disubstituted 1,2-diols are efficiently converted into carbonyl compounds by reaction with triphenylphosphine and diethyl azodicarboxylate. © 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.Keywords: Mitsunobu reactions; diols; aldehydes.The Mitsunobu reaction is a useful synthetic tool which allows the conversion of an alcohol function into a wide variety of functional groups. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] ROOC-N_N-COOR + Ph 3 P + R OH + Nu : → Nu-R + Ph 3 PO + ROOC-NH-NH-COOR Cyclic compounds are formed when the alcohol molecule contains a suitably placed nucleophile. Epoxides are obtained from acyclic 1,2-diols under the Mitsunobu conditions 9 and from cyclic trans-1,2-diols. [10][11][12][13] Under the same conditions triphenylphosphoranes resulted from cyclic cis-1,2-diols. [11][12][13][14] Methyl shikimate (8a), having cis-and trans-diol groups, leads to the corresponding epoxide 8b, under these conditions. 15 During our research on the synthesis of bioactive compounds from labdane diterpenes we have found that diol 12a is transformed with excellent yield into drimenal (12b) 16 when it is treated with triphenylphosphine (TPP) and diethyl azodicarboxylate (DEAD) in benzene. In order to elucidate the scope and synthetic application of this reaction the behaviour of a variety of 1,2-diols with these reagents has been studied. The results obtained are summarized in Table 1 and compared with those previously reported. As may be seen, monosubstituted and disubstituted 1,2-diols are converted into epoxides or phosphoranes, depending on whether the hydroxyl groups adopt an antiperiplanar (cyclic trans-diols and acyclic diols) or an eclipsed conformation (cis-diols), respectively. The formation of phosphorane 3b from diol 3a can be attributed to the bulky dioxolane groups which prevent the hydroxyl groups from adopting the anti disposition. 1,1-Disubstituted-1,2-diols lead to the formation of aldehydes or ketones, depending on whether the less substituted carbon is primary or secondary. Even acyclic 1,1-disubstituted * Corresponding author.