Alkyl hypochlorites, oxidation with

Secondary alcohols are oxidized at room temperature to ketones in high yields by HOCl generated in situ from aqueous NaOCl and acetic acid (109,110). Selective oxidation in the presence of a primary alcohol is possible. In methanol, aldehydes are oxidized to methyl esters (110). Under the proper conditions, alcohols can be esterified with HOCl forming isolable alkyl hypochlorites. 

The kinetics of formation and hydrolysis of /-C H OCl have been investigated (262). The chemistry of alkyl hypochlorites, /-C H OCl in particular, has been extensively explored (247). /-Butyl hypochlorite reacts with a variety of olefins via a photoinduced radical chain process to give good yields of aUyflc chlorides (263). Steroid alcohols can be oxidized and chlorinated with /-C H OCl to give good yields of ketosteroids and chlorosteroids (264) (see Steroids). /-Butyl hypochlorite is a more satisfactory reagent than HOCl for /V-chlorination of amines (265). Sulfides are oxidized in excellent yields to sulfoxides without concomitant formation of sulfones (266). 2-Amino-1, 4-quinones are rapidly chlorinated at room temperature chlorination occurs specifically at the position adjacent to the amino group (267). Anhydropenicillin is converted almost quantitatively to its 6-methoxy derivative by /-C H OCl in methanol (268). Reaction of unsaturated hydroperoxides with /-C H OCl provides monocyclic and bicycHc chloroalkyl 1,2-dioxolanes. 

The effectiveness of the method is most probably based on the fact that alkyl hypochlorite is formed at the oil/water interface where the cosurfactant alcohol resides. The oxidation that follows takes place either inside or on the surface of oil droplet. The rate of the reaction can result from a large hydrocarbon/water contact area permitting interaction between oil-soluble sulfide with interfacial cosurfactant that served as an intermediary. An extension ofthis procedure to mustard deactivation has also been proposed [20b]. Such systems could be also applied to the degradation of several environmentally contaminating materials The formation of microemulsions, micelles and vesicles is promoted by unfavourable interactions at the end sections of simple bilayer membranes. There is no simple theory of solute-solvent interactions. However, the formation of... 

Alkyl hypochlorites and hypobromites are relatively stable molecules alkyl hypoiodites can only be prepared in situ, usually by the reaction of alcohols with metal acetates or oxides and iodine or by the reaction of alcohols with a hypervalent iodine compound and iodine.1319 Alkyl hypochlorites and hypoiodites can be utilized in reactions that parallel those of the organic nitrites (Barton reaction Section 6.4.2). For example, the photochemistry of the steroidal hypoiodite 497, prepared by the reaction of the corresponding alcohol with iodine oxide (I2O) generated from mercury(II) oxide and molecular iodine in situ, affords a new five-membered ring via an O I bond fission, 1,5-hydrogen abstraction and substitution (Scheme 6.244).1353... 

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