Alkyl phenyl sulfides, oxidation

Similar to nitrogen compounds, electron-rich sulfur compounds, such as the sulfides, with the lone pair of electrons on the sulfur atom, are oxidized to sulfoxides and, further, to sulfones by the H202/titanosilicate sytem (218,232, 233). Table XXXI (232) illustrates typical conversions and product selectivities for various sulfides for the reactions catalyzed by TS-1. Bulky sulfides such as alkyl, phenyl sulfides are relatively unreactive because of their steric exclusion from the pores of TS-1. Diphenyl sulfide could not be oxidized at all. As the diffusivity and, hence, the conversion of the sulfide decreases, the further oxidation of the primary product (sulfoxide) becomes more competitive, leading to increased formation of the corresponding sulfone (Table XXXI) ... 

Both the second and third processes in Scheme 13 can also be used for the functionalization of a-silylated alkyl phenyl sulfides [74] when oxidizing the latter in the presence of primary alcohols. First, the cleavage of the C—Si bond (equivalent to deprotonation) and then that of the S—C bond occurs to give... 

Oxidation of alkyl phenyl sulfides by pyridinium bromochromate (PBC) is accelerated by electron-donating alkyl groups or aryl substituents, indicating an electron-deficient sulfur centre in the transition state this is accounted for in terms of rate-determining electrophilic oxygen attack from PBC to the sulfide in an. S -like process.7... 

Wong s group32 investigated the chloroperoxidase-catalyzed oxidation of p-sub-stituted alkyl phenyl sulfides by hydrogen peroxide or racemic alkyl hydroperoxides as oxidant in aqueous buffer. Slow addition of H202 to the reaction mixture afforded nearly enantiopure sulfoxides (97-99% ee). Interestingly, when racemic alkyl hydroperoxides were used as oxidant, optically active alcohols and alkyl hydroperoxides were obtained (Scheme 4). 

Oxidation of alkyl phenyl sulfides carried out in MeCN in absence of water affords sulfonium salts [93] ... 

The alkyl phenyl sulfone precursors for the olefination may be prepared by the reaction of alkyl halides with sodium benzenethiolate, followed by oxidation of the alkyl phenyl sulfides formed with mCPBA. Alternatively, displacement of an alkyl bromide or iodide with the less nucleophilic sodium benzenesulfmate PhS02Na leads directly to the alkyl phenyl sulfone. 

Oxidation of sulfides. The oxidation to sulfoxides is carried out in the presence of MeaSiCl or concentrated hydrochloric acid in aqueous methanol. On the other hand, alkyl phenyl sulfides are converted to phenyl vinyl sulfides with MnO AcCl in DMF. 

Organic sulfides are oxidized to sulfonyl chlorides by iodosylbenzene, activated by crushing and grinding with a HCl-treated silica gel [522,523], Sulfides 431 with benzylic substituents, such as dibenzyl, alkyl benzyl and benzyl phenyl sulfides, are converted by this reaction into the corresponding sulfonyl chlorides 432 and 433 in high yields (Scheme 3.173). Other types of sulfides, such as dialkyl and alkyl phenyl sulfides, give sulfonyl chlorides only in moderate yield. 

The complex (70) is the most efficient catalyst in the titaniumsalan-catalysed asymmetric oxidations of bulky aryl benzyl sulfides and small alkyl phenyl sulfides by H2O2 in CH2CI2 to corresponding sulfoxides with 77% ee. The kinetics suggest that a direct attack of the sulfide on the electrophilic active oxygen species occurs... 

There have been several papers dealing with the oxidation reactions of nitrogen and sulfur-based compounds. Hindered amines, such as substituted 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidines, are easily oxidized by electron-transfer reactions to the corresponding cation, by the sulfate radical anion, and by sensitized electron transfer to carbonyl triplets. Radicals derived from tertiary piperidines were observed directly by optical spectroscopy and deprotonated to a-alkylamine radicals. The amine radical cation derived from secondary piperidines deprotonated to give aminyl radicals. In the presence of oxygen, both classes were oxidized to give nitroxyl radicals, but by different proposed mechanisms. Both oxidation and fragmentation pathways have been observed in the photochemical reaction of alkyl phenyl sulfides with tetranitromethane. The oxidation of various A-(arylthio)-4-substituted-2,6-diarylanilines (18) with PbOa yielded, in most cases, persistent radicals that could... 

Suitable mechanisms have been proposed following determination of the kinetic and activation parameters for oxidation of 2-naphthol and cyclic ketones by nicotinium dichromate some a-amino acids by tripropylammonium fluorochromate " distyryl ketone by quinaldinium fluorochromate methanol by benzyltriethylammonium chlorochromate catalysed by 1,10-phenanthroline substituted benzyl alcohols by tetraethylammonium bromochromate L-cysteine by pyridinium bromochromate lactic acid and 3,5-dimethyl-2,6-diaryl piperidin-4-one oximes by pyridinium chlorochromate allyl alcohol by IDC benzophenoxime by bispyridine silver(I) dichromate and alkyl phenyl sulfides by cetyltrimethylammonium dichromate. A non-linear Hammett plot obtained for the oxidation of substituted benzyl alcohols by IDC has been attributed to the operation of substituent effect on two steps of the proposed mechanism. " Kinetic and activation parameters for oxidation of o-toluidine and of A-methyl-2,6-diphenyl piperidin-4-one oxime and its 3-alkyl derivatives by sodium dichromate have been determined and suitable mechanisms have been suggested. Micellar catalysis in the 1,10-phenanthroline-promoted chromic acid oxidation of propanol... 

Several alkyl aryl sulfides were electrochemically oxidized into the corresponding chiral sulfoxides using poly(amino acid)-coated electrodes448. Although the levels of enan-tioselection were quite variable, the best result involved t-butyl phenyl sulfoxide which was formed in 93% e.e. on a platinum electrode doubly coated with polypyrrole and poly(L-valine). Cyclodextrin-mediated m-chloroperbenzoic acid oxidation of sulfides proceeds with modest enantioselectivity44b. 

Ohta and coworkers used a bacterium, Corynebacterium equi IFO 3730, rather than a fungus, to oxidize eight alkyl phenyl and p-tolyl sulfides to their respective sulfoxides (119, 120) of configuration R. Virtually all of the sulfur compounds were accounted for as the sum of uncreacted sulfide, sulfoxide and sulfone. The enantiomeric purities of the sulfoxides obtained were quite good and are shown below in parentheses. The formation of the allyl sulfoxides in high optical purity is noteworthy. The authors believe that the sulfoxides were formed by enantioselective oxidation of the sulfides rather than by enantioselective oxidation of racemic sulfoxides, since the yield of sulfoxides was greater than 50% in five of the ten oxidations reported (see also Reference 34). 

The oxidation of methyl phenyl sulfide using fresh PWAA gave methyl phenyl sulfone in 97% yield. In the repeated use of recovered catalyst, the yields of sulfone in runs 2 to 5 ranged from 82 to 88%. The activities of recovered catalysts were somewhat reduced. The deactivation may be caused by catalyst pulverization or degradation of the PW12O403- species. While the reusability and stability of the catalyst should be improved, this concept would be useful for the creation of sophisticated solid catalysts. After Ikegami s reports, Neumann and coworkers [140] applied this strategy to the development of alkylated polyethyleneimine/POM synzymes. 

Steric effects dominate in the oxidation of dialkyl, alkyl phenyl and benzal methyl phenyl sulfides to their sulfoxides by quinolinium fluorochromate (QFC) in aqueous acetic acid. QFC oxidation of phenoxyacetic acids has been smdied. Imidazolium dichromate oxidations of a-hydroxy acids have been smdied. ... 

A further catalytic method for asymmetric sulfoxidation of aryl alkyl sulfides was reported by Adam s group, who utilized secondary hydroperoxides 16a, 161 and 191b as oxidants and asymmetric inductors (Scheme 114) . This titanium-catalyzed oxidation reaction by (S)-l-phenylethyl hydroperoxide 16a at —20°C in CCI4 afforded good to high enantiomeric excesses for methyl phenyl and p-tolyl alkyl sulfides ee up to 80%). Detailed mechanistic studies showed that the enantioselectivity of the sulfide oxidation results from a combination of a rather low asymmetric induction in the sulfoxidation ee <20%) followed by a kinetic resolution of the sulfoxide by further oxidation to the sulfone... 

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