The Effect of Iodine on the Peroxidation of Carbonyl Compounds

TiCl4-catalyzed synthesis of peroxyacetals from aldehydes

Peroxyacetals 2a–2j were prepared by TiCl4-promoted nucleophilic addition of both tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) and an alcohol to the corresponding aldehyde. The reaction works well with a variety of aldehydes, but not with ketones. The magnitude of the equilibrium constant for hemiacetal formation plays an important role; a large constant enables high conversion to peroxyacetal.

Mild and efficient strontium chloride hexahydrate-catalyzed conversion of ketones and aldehydes into corresponding gem-dihydroperoxides by aqueous H2O2

SrCl₂·6H₂O has been shown to act as an efficient catalyst for the conversion of aldehydes or ketones into the corresponding gem-dihydroperoxides (DHPs) by treatment with aqueous H₂O₂ (30%) in acetonitrile. The reactions proceed under mild and neutral conditions at room temperature to afford good to excellent yields of product.

A facile catalyst-free synthesis of gem-dihydroperoxides with aqueous hydrogen peroxide

gem-Dihydroperoxides were easily obtained from the corresponding carbonyl compounds in high yields through a catalyst-free method with aqueous H(2)O(2) (35%) in 1,2-dimethoxyethane at room temperature.

Molecular iodine-catalysed amidation reaction of secondary benzylic and allylic alcohols with carboxamides or sulfonamides

A highly efficient method for the C–N bond formation via 2 mol% of molecular iodine-catalysed amidation reaction of benzylic and allylic alcohols with carboxamides or sulfonamides in MeCN is described, giving the corresponding substituted amides and allylic amides in moderate to excellent yields. The significan features of the procedure include mild and metal-free reaction conditions, operational simplicity, inexpensive reagents, short reaction time, and good yields.

Antimalarial peroxides

The problem of endemic malaria continues unabated globally. Malaria affects 40 % of the global population, causing an estimated annual mortality of 1.5-2.7 million people. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 90 % of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa among infants under the age of five. While a vaccine against malaria continues to be elusive, chemotherapy remains the most viable alternative towards treatment of the disease. During last years, the situation has become urgent in many ways, but mainly because of the development of chloroquine-resistant (CQR) strains of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf). The discovery that artemisinin (ART, 1), an active principle of Artemisia annua L., expresses a significant antimalarial activity, especially against CQR strains, opened new approaches for combating malaria. Since the early 1980s, hundreds of semi-synthetic and synthetic peroxides have been developed and tested for their antimalarial activity, the results of which were extensively reviewed. In addition, in therapeutic practice, there is no reported case of drug resistance to these antimalarial peroxides. This review summarizes recent achievements in the area of peroxide drug development for malaria chemotherapy.

Chemical stability of the peroxide bond enables diversified synthesis of potent tetraoxane antimalarials

Of 17 prepared 1,2,4,5-tetraoxacyclohexanes stable to reductive and acidic conditions, 3 of them were more active than artemisinin against CQ and MFQ resistant strain TM91C235 and all compounds were more active in vitro against W2 than against D6 strain. In vivo, amines 10 and 11a cured all mice at higher doses with MCD < or = 37.5 (mg/kg)/day. Triol 13 was exceptionally active against melanoma (LOX IMVI) and ovarian cancer (IGROV1), both with LC 50 = 60 nM.