Epoxidation, Cyclopropanation, and Electrophilic Addition Reactions at the meta Position of Phenol and meta-Cresol

Phenols, when coordinated to tungsten, undergo conversion to their 2H tautomers. In this form, these phenols undergo a variety of reactions with electrophiles including cyclopropanation, epoxidation, and electrophilic addition to the meta carbon, eventually leading to highly functionalized cyclohexenones.