Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of some reducing sugars by diperiodatoargentate(III) in alkaline medium

Summary The kinetics of oxidation of d-glucose, d-galactose, d-fructose, d-ribose, d-arabinose, d-xylose and 2-deoxyd-glucose by diperiodatoargentate(III) (DPA) have been investigated in alkaline medium. The order of the reaction with respect to DPA] is unity while the order with respect to sugar] is < 1 over the concentration range studied. The rate increases with an increase in OH ^–] and there is a marginal decrease in the rate with an increase in IO _inf4 ^sup– ]. No significant dependence on ionic strength was found, but the rate increases with a decreasing dielectric constant. Formic acid and the corresponding aldonic acids were detected as the products of oxidation. The participation of the open chain form of the sugar and a mechanism involving the initial formation of a complex between the enediol of the sugar and Ag^III are proposed.