Sonocatalysis of the TEMPO-mediated oxidation of glucosides

Ultrasound is shown to increase the rate of the TEMPO-mediated oxidation of methyl --glucopyranoside or sucrose in the presence of stoichiometric amounts of sodium hypochlorite in basic aqueous medium. The reaction can then occur without the usually necessary sodium bromide, showing that ultrasound acts at the level of the formation of the nitrosonium ion, the active oxidizing species in the catalytic cycle.