Epoxidation of olefins with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by a reusable lacunary-type phosphotungstate catalyst

Olefins and allylic alcohols have been epoxidized with commercially available hydrogen peroxide (30% H2O2) using a phase transfer catalyst,composed of cetyltrimethylammonium cations and a lacunary-type phosphotungstate anion [PW11O39]7-or the complete Keggin-type heteropolyanion [PW12O40]3-,under two-phase conditions using ethyl acetate as the solvent. It was found that the lacunary-type catalyst showed higher activity and better recyclability than the complete Keggin-type catalyst under the same reaction c...     

Synthesis and structure elucidation of three series of nitro‐2‐styrylchromones using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy

2‐Styrylchromones, although scarce in nature, constitute a group of oxygen heterocyclic compounds which have shown significant biological activities. New nitro‐2‐styrylchromones have been synthesised by the Baker–Venkataraman method, and the structure elucidation was accomplished using extensive 1D (1H, 13C) and 2D NMR spectroscopic studies (COSY, HSQC and HMBC experiments). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pyridine-keggin heteropoly compounds as catalyst for hydroxylation of phenol using hydrogen peroxide as oxidant

The pyridine-heteropoly compounds are very active catalysts for phenol hydroxylation to dihydroxybenzenes with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant in aqueous solutions. The conversion of phenol reaches 77.8%, and the selectivity for dihydroxybenzenes reaches 99%.     

Clean fuel-oriented investigation of thiophene oxidation by hydrogen peroxide using polyoxometalate as catalyst

After catalyst screening for oxidative desulfurization of fuel oil within several polyoxometalates, H₃PW₆Mo₆O₄₀ was confirmed for the first time to be an effective and recoverable catalyst for the oxidative removal of thiophene, being also effective for the desulfurization of real diesel and gasoline.     

Electrochemical determination of hydrogen peroxide using o -dianisidine as substrate and hemoglobin as catalyst

A new electrochemical method for the determination of microamounts of hydrogen peroxide utilizing o-dianisidine (ODA) as substrate and hemoglobin (Hb) as catalyst is described in this paper. Hb can be used as mimetic peroxidase and it can catalyse the reduction of hydrogen peroxide with the subsequent oxidation of ODA. The oxidative reaction product is an azo compound, which is an electroactive substance and has a sensitive second-order derivative polarographic reductive peak at the potential of -0.58 V (vs. SCE) in pH 80 Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffer solution. The conditions of Hb-catalytic reaction and polarographic detection of the reaction product were carefully studied. By using this polarographic peak and under optimal conditions, the calibration curve for the H₂O₂ was constructed in the linear range of 2.0 x 10^-7 ∼ 10 x 10^-4 mol/l with the detection limit of 5.0 x 10^-8 mol/l. This method can also be used to the determination of Hb content in the range of 20 x 10^-9 ∼ 30 x 10^-7 mol/l with a detection limit of 10 x 10^-9 mol/l. The proposed method was further applied to the determination of the content of H₂O₂ in fresh rainwater with satisfactory results. The catalytic reaction mechanism and the electrode reductive process of the reaction product were carefully studied.     

Chiral discrimination in hydrogen‐bonded complexes of 2‐methylol oxirane with hydrogen peroxide

A systematic quantum chemical study reveals the effects of chirality on the intermolecular interactions between two chiral molecules bound by hydrogen bonds. The methods used are second‐order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) with the 6‐311++g(d,p) basis set. Complexes via the O? H···O hydrogen bond formed between the chiral 2‐methylol oxirane (S) and chiral HOOH (P and M) molecules have been investigated, which lead to four diastereomeric complexes. The nomenclature of the complexes used in this article is enantiomeric configuration sign corresponding to English letters. Such as: sm, sp. The relative positions of the methylol group and the hydrogen peroxide are designated as syn (same side) and anti (opposite side). The largest chirodiastaltic energy was ΔE_chir = ?1.329 kcal mol^?1 [9% of the counterpoise correct average binding energy D_e(corr)] between the sm‐syn and sp‐anti in favor of sm‐syn. The largest diastereofacial energy was ?1.428 kcal mol^?1 between sm‐syn and sm‐anti in favor of sm‐syn. To take into account solvents effect, the polarizable continuum model (PCM) method has been used to evaluate the chirodiastaltic energies, and diastereofacial energies of the 2‐methylol oxirane···HOOH complexes. The chiral 2,3‐dimethylol oxirane (S, S) is C₂ symmetry which offers two identical faces. Hence, the chirodiastaltic energy is identical to the diastereomeric energy, and is ΔE_chir = 0.563 kcal mol^?1 or 5.3% of the D_e(corr) in favor of s,s‐p. The optimized structures, interaction energies, and chirodiastaltic energies for various isomers were estimated. The harmonic frequencies, IR intensities, rotational constants, and dipole moments were also reported. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Direct formation of hydrogen peroxide from H2/O2 using a gold catalyst

Supported Au catalysts are very selective for the direct formation of hydrogen peroxide from H2/O2 mixtures at 2 degrees C; the rate of H2O2 synthesis is markedly increased if Au-Pd alloy nanoparticles are generated by the addition of Pd.     

Syntheses of manganese and iron tetraspirobifluorene porphyrins as new catalysts for oxidation of alkenes by hydrogen peroxide and iodosylbenzene

The condensation of pyrrole with 9,9′-spirobifluorene aldehyde yields new the 5,10,15,20-tetra(spirobifluorene) porphyrins; epoxidation of cyclooctene and styrene derivatives catalyzed by the manganese and iron complexes is reported using H₂O₂ and PhIO as oxygen atom donors.     

Epoxidation of propylene with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by heteropolyphosphatotungstate

The epoxidation of propylene with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by a reaction-controlled phase transfer catalyst (RCPT) composed of quaternary ammonium heteropolyoxotungstates in acetonitrile medium is studied. The influence of several factors on the reaction is studied, such as the reaction temperature, the effect of H₂O amount, the reaction time, the effect of the catalyst amount, solvent effect and the recycle of the catalyst. Under mild conditions, H₂O₂ conversion is 98.6%, and propylene oxide (PO) selectivity based on H₂O₂ is 97.2%. During the epoxidation, the catalyst is dissolved in the solution. However, after H₂O₂ is used up, the catalyst can be recovered as a precipitate and can be recycled. We find that the recycled catalyst has similar catalytic activity as the fresh one.     

Stopped-flow spectrophotometric determination of hydrogen peroxide with hemoglobin as catalyst

A rapid and sensitive method was proposed for the determination of hydrogen peroxide based on the catalytic effect of hemoglobin using o-phenylenediamine as the substrate. Stopped-flow spectrophotometric method was used to study the kinetic behavior of the oxidation reaction. The catalytic effectiveness of hemoglobin was compared with other four kinds of catalysts. The initial rate of the formation of the reaction product 2,3-diaminophenazine at the wavelength of 425 nm was monitored, permitting a detection limit of 9.2x10(-9) mol/l H(2)O(2). A linear calibration graph was obtained over the H(2)O(2) concentration range 5.0x10(-8)-3.5x10(-6) mol/l, and the relative standard deviation at a H(2)O(2) concentration of 5.0x10(-7) mol/l was 2.08%. Satisfied results were obtained in the determination of H(2)O(2) in real samples by this method.     

Epoxidation of cycloolefins with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of heteropoly acids combined with phase transfer catalyst

Oxidation of cycloolefins (cyclohexene, cyclooctene, and cyclododecene) with a 30% solution of hydrogen peroxide at 65 °C in the presence of heteropoly acids (HPA) H₃PW_12–x Mo _x O₄₀ (x = 0—12), which are precursors of active peroxo complexes, and phase transfer catalysts Q⁺Cl^–, where Q⁺ is the quaternary ammonium cation containing C₄—C₁₈ alkyl groups or [C₅H₅NC₁₆H₃₃]⁺, was studied. The catalytic activity decreases in the HPA series: H₃PW₁₂O₄₀ > H₃PW₉Mo₃O₄₀ > H₃PW₆Mo₆O₄₀ > H₃PW₃Mo₉O₄₀ > H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀. The state of the H₃PW₁₂O₄₀—I₂I₂ system was studied using UV, IR, and ³¹P NMR spectroscopies with variation of the [H₂O₂] : [HPA] ratio from 2 to 200 during cyclohexene epoxidation. Despite different catalytic precursors, the reaction proceeds through the same peroxo complex.     

Synthesis of some novel 2‐substituted‐N‐aryl‐benzoxazole‐5‐carboxamides using cobalt dipyridine dichloride as a catalyst

An efficient synthesis of some novel 2‐substituted‐N‐aryl‐benzoxazole‐5‐carboxamides from 2‐substituted — 5‐carbomethoxy benzoxazole on treatment with different substituted anilines promoted by cobalt dipyridine dichloride as a catalyst is described. This new approach has the advantage of excellent yields (90%) and short reaction times 1‐2 h.     

Highly selective sulfoxidation of allylic and vinylic sulfides by hydrogen peroxide using a flavin as catalyst

A highly chemoselective oxidation of allylic and vinylic sulfides to the corresponding sulfoxides has been developed using flavin 1 as the oxidation catalyst and hydrogen peroxide as the terminal oxidant. The sulfoxides were formed in good to excellent yields in a highly selective manner even when an excess of the oxidant was used. Sulfone formation was completely suppressed to <0.5% (in one single case 1.5% sulfone was detected). No epoxidation of double bonds or interference with other functional groups was observed under the reaction conditions. The general applicability was demonstrated by the selective oxidation of various allylic and vinylic sulfides having different electronic properties. A number of functionalities including hydroxy, acetoxy, amino, silyloxy, and formyl groups are tolerated under these mild reaction conditions.     

The Strained Sesquiterpene β‐Caryophyllene as a Probe for the Solvent‐Assisted Epoxidation Mechanism

In our attempt to synthesize β‐caryophyllene oxide in food‐compatible conditions, we observed the uncatalyzed and highly selective epoxidation of β‐caryophyllene, a strained bicyclic sesquiterpene, in ethanol with aqueous H₂O₂ under radical‐suppressing conditions without the addition of a catalyst. The unusual reactivity of β‐caryophyllene allowed us to use it as a probe for the mechanism of the solvent‐assisted epoxidation in a wide range of organic solvents. A kinetic study was performed to investigate the epoxidation mechanism; an excellent correlation was found between the observed epoxidation rates in different solvents and the Abraham’s hydrogen bond formation parameters of these solvents. By means of computational analysis, it was found that the main role of the solvent consists of the stabilization of the elongated O?O bond of H₂O₂ in the transition state through hydrogen‐bond donation to the leaving OH moiety of H₂O₂. α‐Humulene was found to possess similar reactivity as β‐caryophyllene whereas isocaryophyllene—the unstrained isomer of β‐caryophyllene—was unreactive.     

Epoxidation of flax oil with hydrogen peroxide in a conjugate system in the presence of acetic acid and chlorinated cation exchanger KU-2×8 as catalyst

Epoxidation of flax oil in a conjugate system with hydrogen peroxide using chlorinated cation exchanger KU-2×8 as catalyst was studied. The influence exerted on the epoxidation rate and target product quality by the temperature, stirring intensity, catalyst amount, and reactant ratio was examined.     

Electron Transfer‐Initiated Epoxidation and Isomerization Chain Reactions of β‐Caryophyllene

The abundant sesquiterpene β‐caryophyllene can be epoxidized by molecular oxygen in the absence of any catalyst. In polar aprotic solvents, the reaction proceeds smoothly with epoxide selectivities exceeding 70 %. A mechanistic study has been performed and the possible involvement of free radical, spin inversion, and electron transfer mechanisms is evaluated using experimental and computational methods. The experimental data—including a detailed reaction product analysis, studies on reaction parameters, solvent effects, additives and an electrochemical investigation—all support that the spontaneous epoxidation of β‐caryophyllene constitutes a rare case of unsensitized electron transfer from an olefin to triplet oxygen under mild conditions (80 °C, 1 bar O₂). As initiation of the oxygenation reaction, the formation of a caryophyllene‐derived radical cation via electron transfer is proposed. This radical cation reacts with triplet oxygen to a dioxetane via a chain mechanism with chain lengths exceeding 100 under optimized conditions. The dioxetane then acts as an in situ‐formed epoxidizing agent. Under nitrogen atmosphere, the presence of a one‐electron acceptor leads to the selective isomerization of β‐caryophyllene to isocaryophyllene. Observations indicate that this isomerization reaction is a novel and elegant synthetic pathway to isocaryophyllene.     

Nitroxide‐mediated polymerization of 1,3‐butadiene in the presence of diphenylamine with hydrogen peroxide as initiator

Living behavior of a nitroxide‐mediated polymerization of 1,3‐butadiene in the presence of diphenyl nitroxide (DPN) as counter radical and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as initiator has been studied to elucidate the bimodal molar mass distribution of the product by four approaches such as hydrolyzation of the oligomeric product, peak separation technique, which defines the oligobutadiene molar mass dependency in relation to α as a ratio of [nitroxide] to [H₂O₂], variation of hydroxyl value with respect to α, and para‐substituted DPN. It is demonstrated that the synthesized DPN shows efficient control of the polymerization of 1,3‐butadiene, but because of the formation of difunctional nitroxide during the oxidation process of aromatic diphenylamine, a bimodal distribution in the final product is observed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011