“Green” Oxidation Catalysis for Rapid Deactivation of Bacterial Spores

The impact of surfactants on Fe(III)-TAML-catalyzed oxidations by peroxides: accelerations, decelerations, and loss of activity

Iron(III) complexes of tetraamidato macrocyclic ligands (TAMLs), [Fe{4-XC(6)H(3)-1,2-(NCOCMe(2)NCO)(2)CR(2)}(OH(2))](-), 1 (1 a: X = H, R = Me; 1 b: X = COOH, R = Me); 1 c: X = CONH(CH(2))(2)COOH, R = Me; 1 d: CONH(CH(2))(2)NMe(2), R = Me; 1 e: X = CONH(CH(2))(2)NMe(3) (+), R = Me; 1 f: X = H, R = F), have been tested as catalysts for the oxidative decolorization of Orange II and Sudan III dyes by hydrogen peroxide and tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of micelles that are neutral (Triton X-100), positively charged (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB), and negatively charged (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS). The previously reported mechanism of catalysis involves the formation of an oxidized intermediate from 1 and ROOH (k(I)) followed by dye bleaching (k(II)). The micellar effects on k(I) and k(II) have been separately studied and analyzed by using the Berezin pseudophase model of micellar catalysis. The largest micellar acceleration in terms of k(I) occurs for the 1 a-tBuOOH-CTAB system. At pH 9.0-10.5 the rate constant k(I) increased by approximately five times with increasing CTAB concentration and then gradually decreased. There was no acceleration at higher pH, presumably owing to the deprotonation of the axial water ligand of 1 a in this pH range. The k(I) value was only slightly affected by SDS (in the oxidation of Orange II), but was strongly decelerated by Triton X-100. No oxidation of the water-insoluble, hydrophobic dye Sudan III was observed in the presence of the SDS micelles. The k(II) value was accelerated by cationic CTAB micelles when the hydrophobic primary oxidant tert-butyl hydroperoxide was used. It is hypothesized that tBuOOH may affect the CTAB micelles and increase the binding of the oxidized catalysts. The tBuOOH-CTAB combination accelerated both of the catalysis steps k(I) and k(II).

Activity-stability parameterization of homogeneous green oxidation catalysts

Small-molecule synthetic homogeneous-oxidation catalysts are normally poorly protected from self-destruction under operating conditions. Achieving design control over both activity and half-life is important not only in advancing the utility of oxidation catalysts, but also in minimizing hazards associated with their use and disposal. Iron(III)-TAML (tetraamido-macrocyclic ligand) oxidant catalysts rapidly activate H(2)O(2) for numerous significant processes, exhibiting high and differing activity and varying half-lives depending upon the TAML design. A general approach is presented that allows for the simultaneous determination of the second-order rate constant for the oxidation of a targeted substrate by the active catalyst (k(II)) and the rate constant for the intramolecular self-inactivation of the active catalyst (k(i)). The approach is valid if the formation of the active catalyst from its resting state and the primary oxidizing agent, measured by the second-order rate constant k(I), is fast and the catalyst concentration is very low, such that bimolecular inactivation pathways can be neglected. If the oxidation process is monitored spectrophotometrically and is set up to be incomplete, the kinetic trace can be analyzed by using the equation ln(lnA(t))/A(infnity)=ln(k(II)/k(i)[Fe(III)](tot)-k(i)t, from which k(II) and k(i) can be determined. Here, A(t) and A(infinity) are absorbances at time t and at the end of reaction (t=infinity), respectively, and [Fe(III)](tot) is the total catalyst concentration. Several tools were applied to examine the validity of the approach by using a variety of different Fe(III)-TAML catalysts, H(2)O(2) and tBuOOH as oxidizing agents, and the dyes safranine O and orange II as target substrates. Learning how catalyst activities (k(II)) and catalyst half-lives (k(i)) can be controlled by ligand design is an important step in creating green catalysts that will not persist in the environment after they have achieved their purpose.