α-methyl amino acids by catalytic phase-transfer alkylations

The α-methyl amino acids, α-methyl p-chlorophenylalanine, α-methyl p-tyrosine, α-methyl m-tyrosine and α-methyl DOPA have been prepared in good yields from amino ester hydrochlorides. The key step in the method is the catalytic phase-transfer alkylation of Schiff base derivatives of mono alkyl amino acids.     

Regioselective hydroxylation of the xylyl linker in a diiron(III) complex having a carboxylate-rich ligand with H2O2

Reaction of a diiron(III) complex having a xylta4- ligand (N,N,N',N'-m-xylylenediamine tetraacetate) with H2O2 resulted in regioselective hydroxylation of the m-xylyl linker. The reaction mimics the self-hydroxylation of a phenylalanine side chain found for ribonucleotide reductase (R2-W48F/D84E).     

一步室温固相化学反应合成纳米氨基酸杂多电荷转移配合物(HPhe)3PMo12O40·2H2O

以Keggin结构的钼磷酸(H3PMo12O40·13H2O)与苯丙氨酸(Phe)为原料,利用一步固相化学反应于室温合成了纳米氨基酸杂多电荷转移配合物(HPhe)3PMo12O40·2H2O,采用元素分析,IR,XRD,TEM,UV和循环伏安法等手段对其进行了结构表征及性质研究.结果表明,标题化合物纳米粒子为均匀的球状,粒径约为30～40nm.该化合物中杂多阴离子部分仍保持Keggin结构,但在钼磷酸与苯丙氨酸之间发生了显著的电荷转移.     

Accelerating effect of glutathione on hydroxylation of phenylalanine by stimulated polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Sulfhydryl compounds significantly accelerated the hydroxylation of phenylalanine by stimulated polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The reduced form of glutathione (G-SH) was most effective. The hydroxylation reaction in the presence of G-SH was largely prevented by superoxide dismutase and hydroxyl radical scavengers. The results suggest that a much faster production of hydroxyl radical may occur in a reaction mixture containing both G-SH and stimulated polymorphonuclear leukocytes than in that containing stimulated polymorphonuclear leukocytes alone.     

A density functional study on a biomimetic non-heme iron catalyst: insights into alkane hydroxylation by a formally HO-FeV=O oxidant

The reactivity of [HO-(tpa)Fe(V)=O] (TPA=tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine), derived from O-O bond heterolysis of its [H(2)O-(tpa)Fe(III)-OOH] precursor, was explored by means of hybrid density functional theory. The mechanism for alkane hydroxylation by the high-valent iron-oxo species invoked as an intermediate in Fe(tpa)/H(2)O(2) catalysis was investigated. Hydroxylation of methane and propane by HO-Fe(V)=O was studied by following the rebound mechanism associated with the heme center of cytochrome P450, and it is demonstrated that this species is capable of stereospecific alkane hydroxylation. The mechanism proposed for alkane hydroxylation by HO-Fe(V)=O accounts for the experimentally observed incorporation of solvent water into the products. An investigation of the possible hydroxylation of acetonitrile (i.e., the solvent used in the experiments) shows that the activation energy for hydrogen-atom abstraction by HO-Fe(V)=O is rather high and, in fact, rather similar to that of methane, despite the similarity of the H-CH(2)CN bond strength to that of the secondary C-H bond in propane. This result indicates that the kinetics of hydrogen-atom abstraction are strongly affected by the cyano group and rationalizes the lack of experimental evidence for solvent hydroxylation in competition with that of substrates such as cyclohexane.     

Comparison of fluorescence reagents for simultaneous determination of hydroxylated phenylalanine and nitrated tyrosine by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are well-known and important contributors to oxidative and nitrosative stress in several diseases. Hydroxylated phenylalanine and nitrated tyrosine products appear to be particularly susceptible targets of oxidative and nitrosative stress. We compared fluorescence reagents for their potential use in the analysis of hydroxylated phenylalanine and nitrated tyrosine products with a high-sensitivity and high-specificity HPLC-UV-FL technique. The analytes were extracted from serum via solid-phase extraction on Waters Oasis MCX cartridges. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an ODS column (Capcell Pak MG II; 150 × 2.0 mm) using a gradient mobile phase consisting of 20 mm sodium phosphate buffer (adjusted to pH 3.0) and acetonitrile. The method quantification limit for 4-nitrophenylalanine, m-tyrosine, and 3-nitrotyrosine was 0.1 μm. The relative standard deviation of the precision and accuracy was acceptable at the spiked concentration of 0.1 μm for 4-nitrophenylalanine, m-tyrosine and 3-nitrotyrosine. The method could be used for the in vitro analysis of serum samples.     

Pathway of oxygen incorporation from O2 in TiO2 photocatalytic hydroxylation of aromatics: oxygen isotope labeling studies

The hydroxylation process is the primary, and even the rate-determining step of the photocatalytic degradation of aromatic compounds. To make clear the hydroxylation pathway of aromatics, the TiO(2) photocatalytic hydroxylation of several model substrates, such as benzoic acid, benzene, nitrobenzene, and benzonitrile, has been studied by an oxygen-isotope-labeling method, which can definitively assign the origin of the O atoms (from oxidant O(2) or solvent H(2)O) in the hydroxyl groups of the hydroxylated products. It is found that the oxygen source of the hydroxylated products depends markedly on the reaction conditions. The percentage of the products with O(2)-derived hydroxyl O atoms increases with the irradiation time, while it decreases with the increase of substrate concentration. More intriguingly, when photogenerated valence-band holes (h(vb)(+)) are removed, nearly all the O atoms (>97?%) in the hydroxyl groups of the hydroxylated products of benzoic acid come from O(2), whereas the scavenging of conduction-band electrons (e(cb)(-)) makes almost all the hydroxyl O atoms (>95?%) originate from solvent H(2)O. In the photocatalytic oxidation system with benzoic acid and benzene coexisting in the same dispersion, the percentage of O(2)-derived hydroxyl O atoms in the hydroxylated products of strongly adsorbed benzoic acid (ca. 30?%) is much less than in that of weakly adsorbed benzene (phenol) (>60?%). Such dependences provide unique clues to uncover the photocatalytic hydroxylation pathway. Our experiments show that the main O(2)-incorporation pathway involves the reduction of O(2) by e(cb)(-) and the subsequent formation of free (?)OH via H(2)O(2), which was usually overlooked in the past photocatalytic studies. Moreover, in the hydroxylation initiated by h(vb)(+), unlike the conventional mechanism, the O atom in O(2) cannot incorporate into the product through the direct coupling between molecular O(2) and the substrate-based radicals.     

A double arene hydroxylation mediated by dicopper(II)-hydroperoxide species

The dicopper(II) complex [Cu(2)(L)](4+) (L = alpha,alpha'-bis[bis[2-(1'-methyl-2'-benzimidazolyl)ethyl]amino]-m-xylene) reacts with hydrogen peroxide to give the dicopper(II)-hydroquinone complex in which the xylyl ring of the ligand has undergone a double hydroxylation reaction at ring positions 2 and 5. The dihydroxylated ligand 2,6-bis([bis[2-(3-methyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)ethyl]amino]methyl)benzene-1,4-diol was isolated by decomposition of the product complex. The incorporation of two oxygen atoms from H(2)O(2) into the ligand was confirmed by isotope labeling studies using H(2)(18)O(2). The pathway of the unusual double hydroxylation was investigated by preparing the two isomeric phenolic derivatives of L, namely 3,5-bis([bis[2-(1-methyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)ethyl]amino]methyl)phenol (6) and 2,6-bis([bis[2-(1-methyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)ethyl]amino]methyl)phenol (7), carrying the hydroxyl group in one of the two positions where L is hydroxylated. The dicopper(II) complexes prepared with the new ligands 6 and 7 and containing bridging micro-phenoxo moieties are inactive in the hydroxylation. Though, the dicopper(II) complex 3 derived from 6 and containing a protonated phenol is rapidly hydroxylated by H(2)O(2) and represents the first product formed in the hydroxylation of [Cu(2)(L)](4+). Kinetic studies performed on the reactions of [Cu(2)(L)](4+) and 3 with H(2)O(2) show that the second hydroxylation is faster than the first one at room temperature (0.13 +/- 0.05 s(-1) vs 5.0(+/-0.1) x 10(-3) s(-1)) and both are intramolecular processes. However, the two reactions exhibit different activation parameters (Delta H++ = 39.1 +/- 0.9 kJ mol(-1) and Delta S++ = -115.7 +/- 2.4 J K(-1) mol(-1) for the first hydroxylation; Delta H++ = 77.8 +/- 1.6 kJ mol(-1) and Delta S++ = -14.0 +/- 0.4 J K(-1) mol(-1) for the second hydroxylation). By studying the reaction between [Cu(2)(L)](4+) and H(2)O(2) at low temperature, we were able to characterize the intermediate eta(1):eta(1)-hydroperoxodicopper(II) adduct active in the first hydroxylation step, [Cu(2)(L)(OOH)](3+) [lambda(max) = 342 (epsilon 12,000), 444 (epsilon 1200), and 610 nm (epsilon 800 M(-1)cm(-1)); broad EPR signal in frozen solution indicative of magnetically coupled Cu(II) centers].     

Advanced oxidation chemistry of paracetamol. UV/H(2)O(2)-induced hydroxylation/degradation pathways and (15)N-aided inventory of nitrogenous breakdown products

The advanced oxidation chemistry of the antipyretic drug paracetamol (1) with the UV/H(2)O(2) system was investigated by an integrated methodology based on (15)N-labeling and GC-MS, HPLC, and 2D (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N NMR analysis. Main degradation pathways derived from three hydroxylation steps, leading to 1,4-hydroquinone/1,4-benzoquinone, 4-acetylaminocatechol and, to a much lesser extent, 4-acetylaminoresorcine. Oxidation of the primary aromatic intermediates, viz. 4-acetylaminocatechol, 1,4-hydroquinone, 1,4-benzoquinone, and 1,2,4-benzenetriol, resulted in a series of nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous degradation products. The former included N-acetylglyoxylamide, acetylaminomalonic acid, acetylaminohydroxymalonic acid, acetylaminomaleic acid, diastereoisomeric 2-acetylamino-3-hydroxybutanedioic acids, 2-acetylaminobutenedioic acid, 3-acetylamino-4-hydroxy-2-pentenedioic acid, and 2,4-dihydroxy-3-acetylamino-2-pentenedioic acid, as well as two muconic and hydroxymuconic acid derivatives. (15)N NMR spectra revealed the accumulation since the early stages of substantial amounts of acetamide and oxalic acid monoamide. These results provide the first insight into the advanced oxidation chemistry of a 4-aminophenol derivative by the UV/H(2)O(2) system, and highlight the investigative potential of integrated GC-MS/NMR methodologies based on (15)N-labeling to track degradation pathways of nitrogenous species.     

Is it true dioxygenase or classic autoxidation catalysis? Re-investigation of a claimed dioxygenase catalyst based on a Ru(2)-incorporated, polyoxometalate precatalyst

A 1997 Nature paper reported that a novel Ru(2)-incorporated sandwich-type polyoxometalate, {[WZnRu(III)(2)(OH)(H(2)O)](ZnW(9)O(34))(2)}(11)(-), is an all-inorganic dioxygenase catalyst for the hydroxylation of adamantane and the epoxidation of alkenes using molecular oxygen. Specifically, it was reported that the above Ru(2)-containing polyoxometalate catalyzes the following reaction by a non-radical-chain, dioxygenase mechanism: 2RH + O(2) --> 2ROH (R = adamantane). A re-investigation of the above claim has been performed, resulting in the following findings: (1) iodometric analysis detects trace peroxides (0.5% relative to adamantane), the products of free-radical-chain autoxidation, at the end of the adamantane hydroxylation reaction; (2) a non-dioxygenase product, H(2)(18)O, is observed at the end of an adamantane hydroxylation reaction performed using (18)O(2); (3) kinetic studies reveal a fractional rate law consistent with a classic radical-chain reaction; (4) a non-dioxygenase approximately 1:1 adamantane products/O(2) stoichiometry is observed in our hands (instead of the claimed 2:1 adamantane/O(2) dioxygenase stoichiometry); (5) adamantane hydroxylation is initiated by the free radical initiator, AIBN (2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile), or the organic hydroperoxide, t-BuOOH; (6) four radical scavengers completely inhibit the reaction; and (7) {[WZnRu(III)(2)(OH)(H(2)O)](ZnW(9)O(34))(2)}(11)(-) is found to be an effective catalyst for cyclohexene free-radical-chain autoxidation. The above results are consistent with and strongly supportive of a free-radical-chain mechanism, not the previously claimed dioxygenase pathway.     

Mechanism of aromatic hydroxylation by an activated FeIV=O core in tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent hydroxylases

The chemical pathways leading to the hydroxylated aromatic amino acids in phenylalanine and tryptophan hydroxylases have been investigated by means of hybrid density functional theory. In the catalytic core of these non-heme iron enzymes, dioxygen reacts with the pterin cofactor and is likely to be activated by forming an iron(IV)=O complex. The capability of this species to act as a hydroxylating intermediate has been explored. Depending on the protonation state of the ligands of the metal, two different mechanisms are found to be energetically possible for the hydroxylation of phenylalanine and tryptophan by the high-valent iron-oxo species. With a hydroxo ligand the two-electron oxidation of the aromatic ring passes through a radical, while an arenium cation is involved when a water replaces the hydroxide. After the attack of the activated oxygen on the substrate, it is also found that a 1,2-hydride shift (known as an NIH shift) generates a keto intermediate, which can decay to the true product through an intermolecular keto-enol tautomerization. The benzylic hydroxylation of 4-methylphenylalanine by the Fe(IV)=O species has also been investigated according to the rebound mechanism. The computed energetics lead to the conclusion that Fe(IV)=O is capable not only of aromatic hydroxylation, but also of benzylic hydroxylation.     

Kinetics and reaction mechanism of phenol hydroxylation catalyzed by La-Cu_4FeAlCO_3

Phenol hydroxylation is an industrially important reaction, whose main products are catechol and hy-droquinone being diverse applications which are im-portant intermediates for perfumes, drugs, and phar-maceuticals and so on[1]. The processes using H2O2 a…     

Mechanism of photoinduced superhydrophilicity on the TiO2 photocatalyst surface

The physicochemical properties of the H(2)O molecules adsorbed on TiO(2) surfaces during UV light irradiation were fully investigated by near-infrared (NIR) absorption spectroscopy. It was found that the H(2)O molecules adsorbed on the TiO(2) surfaces desorb during UV light irradiation by the heating effect of the light source. Since the amount of the H(2)O adsorbed on the TiO(2) surfaces decreased, the distribution of the hydrogen bonds within the H(2)O molecules decreased, resulting in a decrease in the surface tension of the H(2)O clusters. The decrease in the surface tension of H(2)O under UV light irradiation was found to be one of the most important driving forces in which the H(2)O clusters on the TiO(2) surface spread out thermodynamically, forming H(2)O thin layers. The partial elimination of the hydrocarbons from the TiO(2) surface by the photocatalytic complete oxidation was seen to be the other important factor, providing free spaces on the surface where the H(2)O clusters could spill over and spread out to form the thin H(2)O layers. Moreover, the temperature changes of the TiO(2) powder samples during UV light irradiation were found to show a good correspondence with the changes in the contact angle of the H(2)O droplets on the TiO(2) thin film surfaces. Especially the time scale for the hydrophilic conversion on the TiO(2) surfaces under UV light irradiation was in good agreement with the decrease in the amount of H(2)O molecules adsorbed on the TiO(2) surfaces but not the amount of the hydrocarbons eliminated by the photocatalytic oxidation reactions, showing that the adsorption and desorption of H(2)O molecules are generally quite sensitive to the temperature changes of solid surfaces.     

不同催化剂对苯酚H2O2羟基化反应的比较

用苯酚、双氧水经羟基化反应合成邻、对苯二酚,在Fe2O3为催化剂的反应系统中,反应诱导期长,且反应剧烈;当以杂多酸盐或Fe/ZrO2为催化剂时,诱导期消失,且羟基化反应平稳。 反应的诱导期可能是由铁的氧化物转化为活性物种Fe3+和Fe2+的过程引起的;在杂多酸盐或Fe/ZrO2催化剂的反应体系中,羟基化反应可能发生在催化剂表面而使反应变得缓慢平稳,反应诱导期消失。     

Self-encapsulation of [MII(phen)2(H2O)2]2+ (M=Co, Zn) in one-dimensional nanochannels of [MII(H2O)6(BTC)2]4- (M=Co, Cu, Mn): a high HQ/CAT ratio catalyst for hydroxylation of phenols

Four novel three-dimensional (3D) microporous supramolecular compounds containing nanosized channels, namely, [Co(phen)2(H2O)2]2[Co(H2O)6].2BTC.21.5H2O (1), [Co(phen)2(H2O)2]2[Cu(H2O)6].2BTC.21.5H2O (2), [Co(phen)2(H2O)2]2[Mn(H2O)6].2BTC.18H2O (3), and [Zn(phen)2(H2O)2]2[Mn(H2O)6].2BTC.22.5H2O (4), were synthesized from 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate (BTC), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), and the transition-metal salt(s) by self-assembly. Single-crystal X-ray structural analysis showed that the resulting 3D microporous supramolecular frameworks consist of a two-dimensional (2D) hydrogen-bonded host framework of [MII(H2O)6(BTC)2]4- (M=Co for 1, Cu for 2, Mn for 3, 4) with rectangular-shaped cavities containing [MII(phen)2(H2O)2]2+ (M=Co for 1-3, Zn for 4) guests. The guest complex is encapsulated in the 2D hydrogen-bonded host framework by hydrogen bonding and aromatic pi-pi stacking interactions, forming the 3D hydrogen-bonded framework. The catalytic activities of 1, 2, 3, and 4 were studied using hydroxylation of phenols with 30% aqueous H2O2 as a test reaction. The compounds displayed a good phenol conversion ratio and excellent channel selectivity in the hydroxylation reaction, with a maximum hydroquinone (HQ)/catechol (CAT) ratio of 3.9.     

Catalytic hydroxylation of [closo-B12H12](2-)-adaptation of the Periana reaction to a polyhedral borane

Per-B-hydroxylation of a polyhedral borane anion has been demonstrated by the catalytic hydroxylation of icosahedral [closo-B(12)H(12)](2-) using soft electrophiles such as platinum group metal catalysts or iodine cation. A new route to [closo-B(12)(OH)(12)](2-) from [closo-B(12)H(12)](2-) without the use of H(2)O(2) oxidant provides an alternative hydroxylation process.     

CO Preferential oxidation promoted by UV irradiation in the presence of H2 over Au/TiO2

The catalytic oxidation of CO was performed over Au/TiO(2) under UV irradiation in the presence of H(2) in different reaction systems. It was found that the introduction of H(2) enhanced the CO thermocatalytic oxidation in a CO pre-introduced system (CO/O(2)vs. CO/H(2)/O(2)), but suppressed that in an O(2) pre-introduced (O(2)/CO vs. O(2)/H(2)/CO) system. Although the CO oxidation in both CO/H(2)/O(2) and O(2)/H(2)/CO systems could be remarkably enhanced under UV irradiation, the oxidation of H(2) was suppressed under UV irradiation. It was proposed that the dissociative chemisorption H ([triple bond]Ti-H) at surface oxygen vacancy sites of TiO(2) could act as both the electron-acceptors for the photogeneration electrons and the electron-donors for the chemisorbed O(2) at TiO(2), and thus enhance the CO oxidation during the coinstantaneous process of thermocatalysis and photocatalysis. The suppression of H(2) thermocatalytic oxidation under UV irradiation might be ascribed to the electron transfer effect, i.e., the dissociative chemisorption H on Au (Au-H) could be desorbed at the H(2) molecule via accepting the photogenerated electrons from TiO(2).     

钒改性六方介孔硅分子筛催化苯羟基化制苯酚

以偏钒酸铵为钒源,采用溶胶-凝胶法合成了不同钒含量的六方介孔硅（V-HMS）分子筛,利用X射线衍射、N2吸附-脱附和程序升温还原(H2-TPR)对合成的催化剂进行了表征,考察了V-HMS对苯羟基化反应的影响。 结果表明,钒进入了分子筛骨架,并且在HMS分子筛上具有较好的分散性。 V-HMS对苯羟基化反应具有良好的催化活性;高分散的钒氧物种有利于提高苯的羟基化反应性能,溶剂乙腈对反应促进作用明显。 乙腈为溶剂,w(V(5.8)-HMS)=2%,60 ℃反应5 h,苯酚收率达到18.55%,选择性达到100%。     

UV and H2O2/UV degradation of a pharmaceutical intermediate in aqueous solution

The degradation of 5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol (MMTD), a pharmaceutical intermediate found in some aquifers of Northern Italy, has been investigated by means of UV and UV/H2O2 treatments. The study has been carried out with a 17 W low pressure mercury lamp at room temperature, using a (100)/(1) (H2O2)/(MMTD) molar ratio. The results have demonstrated that: (i) with an initial MMTD concentration of 1 mg/l, 90% MMTD removal can be achieved within 1 hour or less than 5 minutes by UV or UV/H2O2 respectively; (ii) the sole UV irradiation does not cause any MMTD mineralization; (iii) with an initial MMTD concentration of 50 mg/l, 4 hours of UV/H2O2 treatment lead to an almost complete mineralization of the MMTD organic sulfur and to a partial mineralization of carbon (59%) and nitrogen (14%). The identification of degradation by-products, performed by HPLC-UV-MS analysis, revealed that the sole UV irradiation gives rise to the MMTD transformation into a single by-product that continuously accumulates in the solution. Conversely, the UV/H2O2 treatment forms seven intermediates that undergo further degradation through the breakdown of the thiadiazole ring. On the basis of the obtained results a degradation pathway has been proposed.