Hydrocarbons, aromatic hydroxylation

Picrates, Many aromatic hydrocarbons (and other classes of organic compounds) form molecular compounds with picric acid, for example, naphthalene picrate CioHg.CgH2(N02)30H. Some picrates, e.g., anthracene picrate, are so unstable as to be decomposed by many, particularly hydroxylic, solvents they therefore cannot be easily recrystaUised. Their preparation may be accomplished in such non-hydroxylic solvents as chloroform, benzene or ether. The picrates of hydrocarbons can be readily separated into their constituents by warming with dilute ammonia solution and filtering (if the hydrocarbon is a solid) through a moist filter paper. The filtrate contains the picric acid as the ammonium salt, and the hydrocarbon is left on the filter paper. 

Experimental procedures have been described in which the desired reactions have been carried out either by whole microbial cells or by enzymes (1—3). These involve carbohydrates (qv) (4,5) steroids (qv), sterols, and bile acids (6—11) nonsteroid cycHc compounds (12) ahcycHc and alkane hydroxylations (13—16) alkaloids (7,17,18) various pharmaceuticals (qv) (19—21), including antibiotics (19—24) and miscellaneous natural products (25—27). Reviews of the microbial oxidation of aUphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons (qv) (28), monoterpenes (29,30), pesticides (qv) (31,32), lignin (qv) (33,34), flavors and fragrances (35), and other organic molecules (8,12,36,37) have been pubflshed (see Enzyp applications, industrial Enzyt s in organic synthesis Elavors AND spices). 

The Diacel columns can be used for the separation of a wide variety of compounds, including aromatic hydrocarbons having hydroxyl groups, carbonyls and sulfoxides, barbiturates, and P-blockers (35,36). There are presendy nine different cellulose derivative-based columns produced by Diacel Chemical Industries. The different columns each demonstrate unique selectivities so that a choice of stationary phases is available to accomplish a separation. 

Alternatively, using a polyethylene glycol stationary phase, aromatic hydrocarbons can also be retained and separated primarily by dipole-induced dipole interactions combined with some dispersive interactions. Molecules can exhibit multiple interactive properties. For example, phenyl ethanol possesses both a dipole as a result of the hydroxyl group and is polarizable due to the aromatic ring. Complex molecules such as biopolymers can contain many different interactive groups. 

A surpnsing feature of the reactions of hexafluoroacetone, trifluoropyruvates, and their acyl imines is the C-hydroxyalkylation or C-amidoalkylaOon of activated aromatic hydrocarbons or heterocycles even in the presence of unprotected ammo or hydroxyl functions directly attached to the aromatic core Normally, aromatic amines first react reversibly to give N-alkylated products that rearrange thermally to yield C-alkylated products. With aromatic heterocycles, the reaction usually takes place at the site of the maximum n electron density [55] (equaUon 5). 

C-Nitration does not involve the hydroxyl group but is a reaction with an aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon or a substituted derivative to produce such compounds as the nitroparaffins and the nitrotoluenes ... 

The transformation of arenes in the troposphere has been discussed in detail (Arey 1998). Their destruction can be mediated by reaction with hydroxyl radicals, and from naphthalene a wide range of compounds is produced, including 1- and 2-naphthols, 2-formylcinnamaldehyde, phthalic anhydride, and with less certainty 1,4-naphthoquinone and 2,3-epoxynaphthoquinone. Both 1- and 2-nitronaphthalene were formed through the intervention of NO2 (Bunce et al. 1997). Attention has also been directed to the composition of secondary organic aerosols from the photooxidation of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of NO (Eorstner et al. 1997) the main products from a range of alkylated aromatics were 2,5-furandione and the 3-methyl and 3-ethyl congeners. 

Demanhche S, C Meyer, J Micoud, M Louwagie, JC Wilson, Y Jouanneau (2004) Identification and functional analysis of two ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases from a Sphingomonas strain that degrades various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Appl Environ Microbiol 70 6714-6725. 

Compared with monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the five-membered azaarenes, the pathways used for the degradation of pyridines are less uniform, and this is consistent with the differences in electronic structure and thereby their chemical reactivity. For pyridines, both hydroxylation and dioxygenation that is typical of aromatic compounds have been observed, although these are often accompanied by reduction of one or more of the double bonds in the pyridine ring. Examples are used to illustrate the metabolic possibilities. 

Lloyd, A.C., Darnall, K.R., Winer, A.M., Pitts, Jr., J.N. (1976) Relative rate constants for reaction of the hydroxyl radical with a series of alkanes, alkenes, and aromatic hydrocarbons. J. Phys. Chem. 80, 189-794. 

Ohta, T., Ohyama, T. (1985) A set of rate constants for the reactions of hydroxyl radicals with aromatic hydrocarbons. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 58, 3029-3030. 

Perry, R.A., Atkinson, R., Pitts, J.N. (1977) Kinetics and mechanisms of the gas phase reaction of the hydroxyl radicals with aromatic hydrocarbons over temperature range 296 473 K. J. Phys. Chem. 81, 296-304. 

The selective hydroxylation, in the presence of aqueous H2O2, of aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, and xylene to phenol, cresols, and xylenols, respectively, occurs easily on TS-1 (33,165,224). Again, a significant contrast between TS-2 and VS-2 in the oxidation of toluene is that when the catalyst is the former, only aromatic ring hydroxylation takes place, although when the catalyst is VS-2, the side chain C-H bonds are also hydroxylated (165, 218,219,225,226) (Table XXVIII). 

Aryl and alkyl hydroxylations, epoxide formation, oxidative dealkylation of heteroatoms, reduction, dehalogenation, desulfuration, deamination, aryl N-oxygenation, oxidation of sulfur Oxidation of nucleophilic nitrogen and sulfur, oxidative desulfurization Oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, amines, and sulfides oxidative dealkylation, reduction of N-oxides Alcohol oxidation reduction of ketones Oxidative deamination... 

Peroxidases have also been utilized for preparative-scale oxidations of aromatic hydrocarbons. Procedures have been optimized for hydroxylation of l-tyrosine, D-(-)-p-hydroxyphenylglycine, and L-phenylalanine by oxygen, di-hydroxyfumaric acid, and horseradish peroxidase (89). Lactoperoxidase from bovine milk and yeast cytochrome c peroxidase will also catalyze such hydroxylation reactions (89). 

The marine environment acts as a sink for a large proportion of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and these compounds have become a major area of interest in aquatic toxicology. Mixed function oxidases (MFO) are a class of microsomal enzymes involved in oxidative transformation, the primary biochemical process in hydrocarbon detoxification as well as mutagen-carcinogen activation (1,2). The reactions carried out by these enzymes are mediated by multiple forms of cytochrome P-450 which controls the substrate specificity of the system (3). One class of MFO, the aromatic hydrocarbon hydroxylases (AHH), has received considerable attention in relation to their role in hydrocarbon hydroxylation. AHH are found in various species of fish (4) and although limited data is available it appears that these enzymes may be present in a variety of aquatic animals (5,6,7,8). 

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