Kinetics and mechanism of the ruthenium(III) catalysed oxidation of reducing sugars by chloramine-T in alkaline medium

The kinetics of the ruthenium(III) catalysed oxidation of reducing sugars, viz. arabinose, xylose, galactose, glucose, fructose, lactose and maltose by chloramine-T have been studied in alkaline medium. The reactions exhibit a first order rate dependence with respect to: [substrate], [chloramine-T] and [OH⁻]. The rate is proportional to {k ^′ + k ^″[Ru^III]}, where k ^′ and k ^″ are rate constants for uncatalysed and catalysed path respectively. A suitable mechanism, consistent with the kinetic data, is proposed and discussed. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.