To a round bottom flask were added phenylethanol (2 mmol), cuprous trifluoromethanesulfonate (CuOTf, 0.1 mmol, 0.05 eq.), (S)-5-(pyrrolidin-2-yl)-1H-tetrazole (0.1 mmol, 0.05 eq.), 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO, 0.1 mmol, 0.05 eq.), potassium tert-butoxide (t-BuOK, 2 mmol, 1 eq.) and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF, 5 ml). The reaction mixture was stirred and exposed to air at 25 °C until the reaction was complete (monitored by thin layer chromatography (TLC)). After completion of the reaction, the mixture was diluted with dichloromethane (CH2Cl2, 20 ml), washed with water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), and the solvent was evaporated in vacuum to give the crude product. The crude product was purified by column chromatography to give pure 2-iodoacetophenone.
