Cornforth Reagent

Oxidizing agent for conversion of primary alcohols to aldehydes and ketonesacetals to estersand didehydroketones to enonesin the presence oftert-butyl hydroperoxide

The Cornforth reagent or pyridinium dichromate (PDC) is a pyridinium salt of dichromate with the chemical formula [C5H5NH]2[Cr2O7]. This compound is named after the Australian-British chemist Sir John Warcup Cornforth (b. 1917) who introduced it in 1962. The Cornforth reagent is a strong oxidizing agent which can convert primary and secondary alcohols to aldehydes and ketones respectively. In its chemical structure and functions it is closely related to other compounds made from hexavalent chromium oxide such as pyridinium chlorochromate and Collins reagent. Because of their toxicity these reagents are rarely used nowadays.