Radical and non-radical mechanisms for alkane oxidations by hydrogen peroxide-trifluoroacetic acid

Peracid Oxidation of Unactivated sp3 C-H Bonds: An Important Solvent Effect

The peracid oxidation of hydrocarbons in chlorinated solvents is a low yielding and poorly selective process. Through a combination of DFT calculations, spectroscopic studies, and kinetic measurement it is shown that the origin of this is electronic in nature and can be influenced through the addition of hydrogen bond donors (HBD) and hydrogen bond acceptors (HBA). Performing the reaction of a cycloalkane with mCPBA in a fluorinated alcohol solvent such as nonafluoro-tert-butanol (NFTB) or hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), which act as strong HBD and poor HBA, leads to significantly higher yields and selectivities being observed for the alcohol product. Application of the optimised reaction conditions allows for the selective oxidation of both cyclic and linear alkane substrates delivering the corresponding alcohol in up to 86 % yield. The transformation shows selectivity for tertiary centres over secondary centres and the oxidation of secondary centres is strongly influenced by stereoelectronic effects. Primary centres are not oxidised by this method. A simple computational model developed to understand this transformation provides a powerful tool to reliably predict the influence of substitution and functionality on reaction outcome.

Unexpected, Latent Radical Reaction of Methane Propagated by Trifluoromethyl Radicals

Thorough mechanistic studies and DFT calculations revealed a background radical pathway latent in metal-catalyzed oxidation reactions of methane at low temperatures. Use of hydrogen peroxide with TFAA generated a trifluoromethyl radical (•CF₃), which in turn reacted with methane gas to selectively yield acetic acid. It was found that the methyl carbon of the product was derived from methane, while the carbonyl carbon was derived from TFAA. Computational studies also support these findings, revealing the reaction cycle to be energetically favorable.

New aqua-soluble dicopper(ii) aminoalcoholate cores for mild and water-assisted catalytic oxidation of alkanes

Two new dicopper(ii) pre-catalysts were synthesized, fully characterized, and applied for the mild homogeneous oxidation of alkanes.

Alkane C-H functionalization and oxidation with molecular oxygen

The application of environmentally benign, cheap, and economically viable oxidation procedures is a key challenge of homogeneous, oxidative alkane functionalization. The typically harsh reaction conditions and the propensity of dioxygen for radical reactivity call for extraordinary robust catalysts. Mainly three strategies have been applied. These are (1) the combination of a catalyst responsible for C-H activation with a cocatalyst responsible for dioxygen activation, (2) transition-metal catalysts, which react with both hydrocarbons and molecular oxygen, and (3) the introduction of very robust main-group element catalysts for C-H functionalization chemistry. Herein, these three approaches will be assessed and exemplified by the reactivity of chelated palladium (N-heterocyclic carbene) catalysts in combination with a vanadium cocatalyst, the methane functionalization by cobalt catalysts, and the reaction of group XVII compounds with alkanes.

Multiple mechanisms and multiple oxidants in P450-catalyzed hydroxylations

Cytochrome P450 enzymes catalyze a number of oxidations in nature including the difficult hydroxylations of unactivated positions in an alkyl group. The consensus view of the hydroxylation reaction 10 years ago was that a high valent iron-oxo species abstracts a hydrogen atom from the alkyl group to give a radical that subsequently displaces the hydroxy group from iron in a homolytic substitution reaction (hydrogen abstraction-oxygen rebound). More recent mechanistic studies, as summarized in this review, indicated that the cytochrome P450-catalyzed "hydroxylation reaction" is complex, involving multiple mechanisms and multiple oxidants. In addition to the iron-oxo species, another electrophilic oxidant apparently exists, either the hydroperoxo-iron intermediate that precedes iron-oxo or iron-complexed hydrogen peroxide formed by protonation of the hydroperoxo-iron species on the proximal oxygen. The other electrophilic oxidant appears to react by insertion of OH(+) into a C-H bond to give a protonated alcohol. Computational work has suggested that iron-oxo can react through multiple spin states, a low-spin ensemble that reacts by insertion of oxygen, and a high-spin ensemble that reacts by hydrogen atom abstraction to give a radical.

Oxidative degradation of a sulfonamide-containing 5,6-dihydro-4-hydroxy-2-pyrone in aqueous/organic cosolvent mixtures

PURPOSE

To predict the oxidative stability of a sulfonamide-containing 5,6-dihydro-4-hydroxy-2-pyrone in lipid-based delivery systems, N-(3-(1[(3alpha,6R)-4-hydroxy-2-oxo-6-phenyl-6-propyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-3-yl]propyl)phenyl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridinylsulfonamide (DHP) was oxidized by peroxides and peroxyl radicals in binary mixtures of water and organic cosolvents.

METHODS

DHP was oxidized by hydrogen peroxide, t-butylhydroperoxide, or peroxyl radicals derived from the thermal decomposition of 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) in 40% (v/v) organic cosolvent and 5 mM buffer at or near 40 degrees C. Interactions between DHP and ]propane sulfonic acid and imidazole) and DH- were assessed by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The formation of CO likely involves a free radical mechanism.

RESULTS

The reaction of DHP with peroxides in 40% (v/v) acetonitrile yields epimeric monohydroxylation products, R-OH and S-OH, at C-3 of the pyrone ring, and a keto-derivative (CO). Hydroxylation rates depend on the protonation state of DHP, and the nature of buffer and the organic cosolvent. Organonitriles accelerate the oxidation through formation of peroxycarboximidic acid. Peroxyl radicals do not yield significant amounts of R/S-OH or CO. CONCLUSIONS. The hydrogen peroxide-induced degradation of DHP in the presence of acetonitrile involves two reactions, hydroxylation and carbonyl formatin. Hydroxylation proceeds via nucleophilic attack by the monodeprotonated form of DHP (DH-) on peroxycarboximidic acid. The oxidation rate is slowed by ion pairing between nitrogen-containing buffers ([3-N-morpholino]propane sulfonic acid and imidazole) and DH-. The formation of CO likely involves a free radical mechanism.