A fast reaction and an easy workup make cerium (1V) ammonium nitrate (CAN) an attractive reagent for oxidative hydrolysis of 1, 3-dithianes to the corresponding carbonyl compounds.'We proposed a mechanism based on electron transfer from sulfur to the metal followed by chemical reaction with the medium2 that is essentially identical with the one proposed for the electrochemical hydr~ lysis.~ We have already stated4 that the ...