Review articles standard format

The oxidation of a-tocopherol (1) to dimers29,50 and trimers15,51 has been reported already in the early days of vitamin E chemistry, including standard procedures for near-quantitative preparation of these compounds. The formation generally proceeds via orf/zo-quinone methide 3 as the key intermediate. The dimerization of 3 into spiro dimer 9 is one of the most frequently occurring reactions in tocopherol chemistry, being almost ubiquitous as side reaction as soon as the o-QM 3 occurs as reaction intermediate. Early accounts proposed numerous incorrect structures,52 which found entry into review articles and thus survived in the literature until today.22 Also several different proposals as to the formation mechanisms of these compounds existed. Only recently, a consistent model of their formation pathways and interconversions as well as a complete NMR assignment of the different diastereomers was achieved.28... 

In 1913, Marcel Sommelet (1877-1952) of the Faculty de Pharmacie of Paris University published his seminal article in Comptes Rendus with the title Decomposition of Alkyl Halide Addition Products of Hexamethylenetetramine, where he delineated the formation of aldehydes by treatment of benzyl halides followed by hydrolysis.4,5 In 1954, S. J. Angyal published a review in Organic Reactions, where he summarized the mechanism, scope, and limitations of the Sommelet reaction.1 Angyal s review ignited a flurry of research and the Sommelet reaction became a well-known standard for the transformation of benzyl halides to the corresponding benzaldehydes. 

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