Alkenes, reaction with hydroperoxide

Depending on the nature of the sulfur or phosphorus compound used, the product R2S = O or R3P = O may undergo a number of further reactions with ROOH groups, all of which convert the hydroperoxide group into an alcohol. These compounds tend to be only weakly effective so are generally used in conjunction with synergistic promoters. Suitable mixtures are used to stabilise a variety of polymers including poly(alkenes), ABS, and poly(stryrene). 

Following the discovery of the ene reaction of singlet molecular oxygen ( Ap (Scheme 15) in 1953 by Schenck [88], this fascinating reaction continues to receive considerable mechanistic attention today. The importance of a path via the perepoxide intermediate or a perepoxide-Iike transition state [13] or the perepoxide quasi-intermediate [70] was proposed for the ene reactions of singlet oxygen with alkenes affording allylic hydroperoxides. 

Other transition-metal oxidants can convert alkenes to epoxides. The most useful procedures involve /-butyl hydroperoxide as the stoichiometric oxidant in combination with vanadium, molybdenum, or titanium compounds. The most reliable substrates for oxidation are allylic alcohols. The hydroxyl group of the alcohol plays both an activating and a stereodirecting role in these reactions. /-Butyl hydroperoxide and a catalytic amount of VO(acac)2 convert allylic alcohols to the corresponding epoxides in good yields.44 The reaction proceeds through a complex in which the allylic alcohol is coordinated to... 

Literature procedures for the synthesis of hydroperoxides include the preparation from hydrogen peroxide (via reaction with alkyl halides, -phosphites, -suEonates, alkenes. 

Sulfides are generally oxidized much faster than alkenes, and in the presence of excess oxidant further oxidation to the sulfone occurs. In the cases where the reaction is conducted in an asymmetric way, the chiral catalytic system may react faster with one enantiomeric sulfoxide to form the sulfone than with the other, so that kinetic resolution of the primarily formed sulfoxide may occur. In general, the reaction is carried out with alkyl hydroperoxides like TBHP in the presence of a metal catalyst like Mo, W, Ti or V complexes. In some cases the sulfoxidation with hydroperoxides can take place without the need of a metal catalyst. Both examples will be discussed in the following. 

Telturoxide elimination.2 Tellurides are converted to alkenes by reaction with chloramine-T, presumably via the adduct a (equation I). This elimination proceeds In low yield with r-butyl hydroperoxide. 

If the alkene or alkadiene has at least one hydrogen on the carbon adjacent to the double bond, reaction with singlet oxygen may give hydroperoxides. The mechanism of this reaction is related to [4 + 2] cycloadditions and is presumed to occur through a HLickel pericyclic transition state (see Section 21-10D) ... 

Titanium(IV)-porphyrin [TiO(TPP)] as well as molybdenum(V)-porphyrin [MoO(OMe)(TPP)] complexes were found to be active for the catalytic epoxidation of alkenes by alkyl hydroperoxides, whereas their peroxo derivatives are inactive.632 Iron(III)-porphyrin-peroxo complexes such as Fe(TPP)02NMe4 did not react with hydrocarbons, but form sulfato complexes upon reaction with S02.632 Manganese(III)-porphyrin-peroxo complexes Mn(02)(TPP) K+ were recently characterized by X-ray crystallography.634... 

Review. The varied uses of singlet oxygen in organic syntheses have been reviewed (70 references). The best known are the ene reaction of alkenes, which results in an allylic hydroperoxide, and the Diels-Alder reaction with 1,3-dienes to form 1,4-endoperoxides. 

The ene or Shenck reaction with alkenes to form allylic hydroperoxides... 

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