Electron Transfer Reaction of Oxo(salen)chromium(V) Ion with Anilines

Bisulfite activated permanganate for oxidative water decontamination

Recently, bisulfite-activated permanganate (MnO₄^-; Mn(VII)) process has attracted considerable attention as a novel class of advanced oxidation technology for destruction of organic contaminants in water. However, disputes over the underlying activation mechanism as well as reactive species generated in the Mn(VII)/bisulfite system remain for a long period due to the fairly complex chemistry involved in this system. This article aims to present a critical review on scientific development of the Mn(VII)/bisulfite system, with particular focus on the generation and contribution of various reactive intermediates. Both reactive manganese species (RMnS) (i.e., soluble Mn(III), Mn(V), and Mn(VI)) and radical species (primarily SO₄^•-) are identified as the oxidizing components responsible for enhanced degradation of organic contaminants by the Mn(VII)/bisulfite system. Bisulfite plays a dual role of being an activating agent for reactive intermediates generation and acting as a complexing agent to stabilize RMnS. Solution chemistry (e.g., the [Mn(VII)]/[bisulfite] molar ratio, solution pH, the type of contaminants, ligands, and water matrix components) greatly impacts the generation and consumption of RMnS and radicals, thus influencing the degradation kinetics and pathways of organics. Particularly, dissolved oxygen (DO) is a vital factor for driving the oxidation of organics since the absence of DO can block the generation of SO₄^•- and meantime causes the consumption of RMnS by excess SO₃^•- as a strong reductant. Interestingly, ferrate (FeO₄^2-, Fe(VI)) and hexavalent chromium (CrO₄^2-/HCrO₄^-, Cr(VI)) that are high-valent metal oxyanions analogous to Mn(VII) can be activated by bisulfite via a similar pathway (i.e. both high-valent metal-oxo intermediates and reactive radicals are involved). Furthermore, key knowledge gaps are identified and future research needs are proposed to address the potential challenges encountered in practical application of the Mn(VII)/bisulfite oxidation technology.

Are free radicals actually responsible for enhanced oxidation of contaminants by Cr(VI) in the presence of bisulfite?

Recently, the technology for the remediation of Cr(VI) pollutant via bisulfite has been found to be effective for fast elimination of co-contaminants especially in acidic solution, where free radicals (i.e., sulfate and/or hydroxyl radicals) are proposed to act as dominant oxidants. Here, it was demonstrated that high-valent Cr intermediate played a primary role in the Cr(VI)/bisulfite system through applying methyl phenyl sulfoxide (PMSO) as a probe. PMSO was effectively transformed in the Cr(VI)/bisulfite system with appreciable generation of methyl phenyl sulfone (PMSO₂) product, while PMSO was oxidized by free radicals to hydroxylated and/or polymeric products rather than PMSO₂. The involvement of high-valent Cr species was further supported by the formation of ¹⁸O-labeled PMSO₂ in ¹⁸O labeling experiments, where the incorporation of ¹⁸O from solvent water H₂¹⁸O into PMSO₂ was likely resulted from competitive oxygen exchange of Cr-oxo species with water. The relative contribution of high valent Cr species versus free radicals was evaluated based on the yield of PMSO₂, which was dependent on the solution chemistry such as [Cr(VI)]:[bisulfite] ratio and dissolved oxygen. This work advances the understanding of chromium chemistry involved in the Cr(VI)/bisulfite system. These findings have important implications on the application of this "waste control by waste" technology for environmental decontamination.

Metal-Oxyl Species and Their Possible Roles in Chemical Oxidations

Metal-oxyl (Mⁿ⁺-O^•) complexes having an oxyl radical ligand, which are electronically equivalent to well-known metal-oxo (M⁽ⁿ⁺¹⁾⁺═O) complexes, are surveyed as a new category of metal-based oxidants. Detection and characterization of Mⁿ⁺-O^• species have been made in some cases, although proposals and characterization of the species are mostly done on the basis of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The reactivity of Mⁿ⁺-O^• complexes will provide a way to achieve potentially difficult oxidative conversion of substrates. This Viewpoint will provide state-of-the-art knowledge on the Mⁿ⁺-O^• species in terms of the formation, characterization, and DFT-based proposals to shed light on the characteristics of the intriguing oxidatively active species.

Chromium-Salen Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of Phenols: Mechanism and Origin of the Selectivity

A highly chemoselective phenol cross-coupling reaction catalyzed by a Cr-salen catalyst was developed. Kinetic studies showed that the oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(V) is the rate-determining step of the reaction. In addition, experimental stoichiometric analysis showed that a high valent Cr(V) species is the active catalyst for this process. The selectivity of the reaction was found to be determined by the cross-coupling carbon-carbon bond forming reaction, rather than any precoordination species. It appears that the lowest energy cross-coupling pathway requires a lesser degree of electronic reorganization in its transition state vs the lowest energy homocoupling pathway. This result was supported by stoichiometric Cr(V) kinetics, ¹³C kinetic isotope effects, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The understanding of the full landscape of this reaction allowed us to develop a general analysis to predict the regioselectivity of the cross-coupling reaction.

Electrophilic and nucleophilic pathways in ligand oxide mediated reactions of phenylsulfinylacetic acids with oxo(salen)chromium(V) complexes

The mechanism of oxidative decarboxylation of phenylsulfinylacetic acids (PSAA) by oxo(salen)Cr(V)+ ion in the presence of ligand oxides has been studied spectrophotometrically in acetonitrile medium. Addition of ligand oxides (LO) causes a red shift in the λ max values of oxo(salen) complexes and an increase in absorbance with the concentration of LO along with a clear isobestic point. The reaction shows first-order dependence on oxo(salen)-chromium(V)+ ion and fractional-order dependence on PSAA and ligand oxide. Michaelis-Menten kinetics without kinetic saturation was observed for the reaction. The order of reactivity among the ligand oxides is picoline N-oxide > pyridine N-oxide > triphenylphosphine oxide. The low catalytic activity of TPPO was rationalized. Both electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents in the phenyl ring of PSAA facilitate the reaction rate. The Hammett plots are non-linear upward type with negative ρ value for electron-donating substituents, (ρ - = -0.740 to -4.10) and positive ρ value for electron-withdrawing substituents (ρ + = +0.057 to +0.886). Non-linear Hammett plot is explained by two possible mechanistic scenarios, electrophilic and nucleophilic attack of oxo(salen)chromium(V)+-LO adduct on PSAA as the substituent in PSAA is changed from electron-donating to electron-withdrawing. The linearity in the log k vs. E ox plot confirms single-electron transfer (SET) mechanism for PSAAs with electron-donating substituents.

Interaction of oxovanadium(iv)–salphen complexes with bovine serum albumin and their cytotoxicity against cancer

An oxovanadium(iv)–salphen complex acts as a probe for bovine serum albumin and shows cytotoxicity against cancer cells.

Oxidation of methionines by oxochromium(V) cations: A kinetic and spectral study

The oxidation of methionine (Met) plays an important role during biological conditions of oxidative stress as well as for protein stability. By choosing [oxo(salen)chromium(V)] ions, [(salen)Cr(V)=O](+) (where salen = bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine) as suitable biomimics for the peptide complexes that are formed during the reduction of Cr(VI) with biological reductants, the oxidation of methionine and substituted methionines with five [oxo(salen)chromium(V)] complexes in aqueous acetonitrile has been investigated by spectrophotometric, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) methods. In aqueous solution [(salen)Cr(V)=O](+) ion is short lived, ligation of H(2)O to the Cr center takes place and [O=Cr(V)(salen)-H(2)O](+) adduct is the active oxidant. The reaction is found to be first order each in the oxidant and the substrate. The presence of water in the reaction system accelerates the reaction rate and an inactive, stable mu-oxo dimer is also formed during the course of the reaction. On the basis of spectral, kinetic and product analysis study a mechanism involving direct oxygen transfer from [O=Cr(V)(salen)-H(2)O](+) to methionine has been proposed as a suitable mechanism for the reaction.