The Ozonation of Silanes and Germanes: An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation

Singlet Oxygen Generation from a Water-Soluble Hypervalent Iodine(V) Reagent AIBX and H2O2: An Access to Artemisinin

Herein, we report an efficient method for the chemical generation of ¹O₂ by treatment of H₂O₂ with AIBX, a highly water-soluble, bench-stable, recyclable hypervalent iodine(V) reagent developed by our group. The generation of ¹O₂ was confirmed by the following results: (1) capture of ¹O₂ with the sodium salt of anthracene-9,10-bis(ethanesulfonate) produced the corresponding endoperoxide and (2) TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy) produced by the oxidation of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine with ¹O₂ generated using the AIBX/H₂O₂ system was detected by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. To illustrate the potential utility of this method for organic synthesis, we used the AIBX/H₂O₂ system to perform typical reactions of ¹O₂: [2 + 2]/[4 + 2] cycloadditions, Schenck ene reactions, and heteroatom oxidation reactions, which afforded the corresponding products in high yields. Moreover, we used the method to synthesize the antimalarial drug artemisinin. Finally, we demonstrated that AIBX could be regenerated after the reaction by means of a workup involving extraction and removal of water to obtain a precursor of AIBX, which could then be re-oxidized.

The degradation mechanism of sulfamethoxazole under ozonation: a DFT study

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a kind of antibiotic, remains in the environment and threatens public health. Ozone as a strong and green oxidant was widely used for selective oxidation degradation of residual SMX. However, it is hard to elucidate the detailed oxidation mechanism through current experimental approaches. A theoretical study has been carried out herein for exploring possible ozonation pathways of SMX. Two reaction mechanisms, viz., direct addition (DA) and H atom transfer (HAT), are considered. The results show that the primary oxidation of aromatic rings (benzene or isoxazole rings) of SMX follows the DA mechanism, featuring an electrophilic addition. Whereas, the oxidation of amino and methyl groups of SMX follows the HAT mechanism. Following the proposed mechanisms, the primary oxidation products detected in previous experiments could reasonably be obtained according to the current calculations. More importantly, O₃ molecules as an electrophilic agent feasibly attack the moiety having a large orbital contribution to the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of sulfonamides. This result suggests that the primary ozonation site of sulfonamides could be theoretically predictable through the information of their frontier molecular orbitals. Meanwhile, a positive correlation between the O₃-mediated HAT energy barriers and bond dissociation energies has been found for N-H and C-H bond oxidations.

Et3GeH versus Et3SiH: controlling reaction pathways in catalytic C–F bond activations at a nanoscopic aluminum chlorofluoride

Catalytic C–F activations at Lewis-acidic amorphous aluminum chlorofluoride (ACF) with Et₃GeH and Et₃SiH for reaction pathway control are presented.

Generation of singlet oxygen from fragmentation of monoactivated 1,1-dihydroperoxides

The first singlet excited state of molecular oxygen ((1)O(2)) is an important oxidant in chemistry, biology, and medicine. (1)O(2) is most often generated through photosensitized excitation of ground-state oxygen. (1)O(2) can also be generated chemically through the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and other peroxides. However, most of these "dark oxygenations" require water-rich media associated with short (1)O(2) lifetimes, and there is a need for oxygenations able to be conducted in organic solvents. We now report that monoactivated derivatives of 1,1-dihydroperoxides undergo a previously unobserved fragmentation to generate high yields of singlet molecular oxygen ((1)O(2)). The fragmentations, which can be conducted in a variety of organic solvents, require a geminal relationship between a peroxyanion and a peroxide activated toward heterolytic cleavage. The reaction is general for a range of skeletal frameworks and activating groups and, via in situ activation, can be applied directly to 1,1-dihydroperoxides. Our investigation suggests the fragmentation involves rate-limiting formation of a peroxyanion that decomposes via a Grob-like process.

Enrichment of H(2)(17)O from tap water, characterization of the enriched water, and properties of several (17)O-labeled compounds

A low-abundance form of water, H(2)(17)O, was enriched from 0.04% to ∼90% by slow evaporation and fractional distillation of tap water. The density and refractive index for H(2)(17)O are reported. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of (16)O- and (17)O-1-hexanols and their trimethyl silyl ethers and of (16)O- and (17)O-hexamethyl disiloxanes was used to determine the percentage of (17)O enrichment in the H(2)(17)O. Furthermore, the chemical shifts of labeled and nonlabeled water dissolved in CDCl(3) differed sufficiently that we could verify the enrichment of H(2)(17)O. (17)O hexanol was synthesized by the reaction of iodohexane with Na(17)OH. (17)O-Labeled trimethylsilanol and (17)O-labeled hexamethyldisiloxane were prepared by the reaction of H(2)(17)O with bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA). To generate standards for (17)O NMR, H(2)(17)O(2), and (17)O camphor were prepared. H(2)(17)O was electrolyzed to form (17)O-labeled hydrogen peroxide which was quantified using two colorimetric assays. (17)O-Labeled camphor was prepared by exchanging the ketone oxygen of camphor using H(2)(17)O. The (17)O-labeled compounds were characterized using (17)O, (1)H, and (13)C NMR and GC-MS. While we were characterizing the labeled camphor, we also detected an unexpected oxygen exchange reaction of primary alcohols, catalyzed by electrophilic ketones such as camphor. The reaction is a displacement of the alcohol OH group by water. This is an example of the usefulness of (17)O NMR in the study of a reaction mechanism that has not been noticed previously.

A new peroxide fragmentation: efficient chemical generation of (1O2) in organic media

Monoactivated derivatives of 1,1-dihydroperoxides undergo an unprecedented base-promoted fragmentation to efficiently generate singlet oxygen (1O2) in anhydrous organic solvents.

Oxidation of Tertiary Silanes by Osmium Tetroxide

In the presence of an excess of pyridine ligand L, osmium tetroxide oxidizes tertiary silanes (Et(3)SiH, (i)Pr(3)SiH, Ph(3)SiH, or PhMe(2)SiH) to the corresponding silanols. With L = 4-tert-butylpyridine ((t)Bupy), OsO(4)((t)Bupy) oxidizes Et(3)SiH and PhMe(2)SiH to yield 100 +/- 2% of silanol and the structurally characterized osmium(VI) mu-oxo dimer [OsO(2)((t)Bupy)(2)](2)(mu-O)(2) (1a). With L = pyridine (py), only 40-60% yields of R(3)SiOH are obtained, apparently because of coprecipitation of osmium(VIII) with [Os(O)(2)py(2)](2)(mu-O)(2) (1b). Excess silane in these reactions causes further reduction of the OsVI products, and similar osmium "over-reduction" is observed with PhSiH(3), Bu(3)SnH, and boranes. The pathway for OsO(4)(L) + R(3)SiH involves an intermediate, which forms rapidly at 200 K and decays more slowly to products. NMR and IR spectra indicate that the intermediate is a monomeric Os(VI)-hydroxo-siloxo complex, trans-cis-cis-Os(O)(2)L(2)(OH)(OSiR(3)). Mechanistic studies and density functional theory calculations indicate that the intermediate is formed by the [3 + 2] addition of an Si-H bond across an O=Os=O fragment. This is the first direct observation of a [3 + 2] intermediate in a sigma-bond oxidation, though such species have previously been implicated in reactions of H-H and C-H bonds with OsO(4)(L) and RuO(4).

H2O3 as a Reactive Oxygen Species: Formation of 8-Oxoguanine from Its Reaction with Guanine

Reaction of guanine with H2O3 in the absence and presence of a water molecule leading to the formation of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) was investigated. Initial calculations were performed using imidazole (Im) as a model for the five-membered ring of guanine. The reactant, intermediate, and product complexes as well as transition states were obtained in gas phase at the B3LYP/6-31+G* and B3LYP/AUG-cc-pVDZ levels of theory. In all the cases, except for the reactions involving imidazole, single-point energy calculations were performed in gas phase at the MP2/AUG-cc-pVDZ level of theory. Solvation calculations in aqueous media were carried out using the polarizable continuum model (PCM) of the self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) theory. Vibrational frequency analysis and intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) calculations were performed to ensure that the transition states connected the reactant and product complexes properly. Zero-point energy (ZPE)-corrected total energies and Gibbs free energies at 298.15 K in gas phase and aqueous media were obtained. When a reaction of H2O3 in place of H2O2 with guanine is considered, the major barrier energy which is encountered at the first step is almost halved showing that H2O3 would be much more reactive than H2O2. Considering the reaction schemes investigated here and the observed fact that H2O3 is dissociated easily under ambient conditions, it appears that H2O3 would serve as an effective reactive oxygen species.