Benzoquinones, preparation from phenols

The further oxidation of phenol may also result in the formation of catechol, C,iH4(OH) (1 2). The transformation may be effected by fusion with sodinm hydroxide.85 The snbstance may also be obtained by oxidizing benzene with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of ferrous sulfate88 and by reducing o-benzoquinone with aqueous sulfurous acid in the cold.81 Quinol may be prepared from phenol by oxidation with potassium persulfate in alkaline solution.38 It can also be obtained directly from benzene by the electrolytic oxidation of an alcohol solution to which... 

The asymmetric reduction of the benzoxathiin is very appealing because of its simplicity (Scheme 5.3). It was envisioned that intermediate 16 could be prepared from thiol-phenol 7 and bro moke tone 17. Scheme 5.8 summarized the synthesis for 16. The l,3-benzoxathiol-2-one 35 was prepared from 1,4-benzoquinone and thiourea following a literature procedure with minor modifications. Benzylation of 35 with benzyl bromide in the presence of KI gave benzyl ether 36 as a crystalline solid. It was observed that the benzylation gave better results when the reaction was run under anaerobic conditions. Hydrolysis of thiocarbonate 36 gave free thiophenol 7 which was used directly in the next reaction. 

Benzyloxybenzylamine (BOBA) 48 is a new class of an amine support and was prepared from Merrifield resin in two steps [56]. BOBA resin was treated with an aldehyde in the presence of an acid to give an imine that subsequently reacted with Yb(OTf)3-catalyzed silyl enolates (Scheme 18). Cleavage with trimethylsilyl triflate (TMSOTf) or 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-l,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) gave either phenols or amines, respectively. 

Problem 19.33 From phenol prepare (a) p-benzoquinone, (b) p-benzoquinone dioxime, (c) quinhydrone (a 1 1 complex of p-benzoquinone and hydroquinone). 4... 

In small-scale syntheses, a wide variety of oxidants has been employed in the preparation of quinones from phenols. Of these reagents, chromic acid, feme ion. and silver oxide show outstanding usefulness in the oxidation of hydroquinones. ThaUium(lll) trifluoroacetate converts 4-halo-or 4-fOT-butylphenols to 1,4-benzuquinones in high yield. For example, 2 bromo-3-methyl-5-r-butyl 1,4-benzoquinone (4) has been made by this route. 

Use of transition metal catalysts opens up previously unavailable mechanistic pathways. With hydrogen peroxide and catalytic amounts of methyl trioxorhe-nium (MTO), 2-methylnaphthalene can be converted to 2-methylnaphtha-l,4-qui-none (vitamin K3 or menadione) in 58 % yield and 86 % selectivity at 81 % conversion (Eq. 10) [43, 44]. Metalloporphyrin-catalyzed oxidation of 2-methylnaphtha-lene with KHSOs can also be used to prepare vitamin K3 [45]. The MTO-catalyzed process can also be applied to the synthesis of quinones from phenols [46, 47]. In particular, several benzoquinones of cardanol derivatives were prepared in this manner [48], The oxidation is thought to proceed through the formation of arene oxide intermediates [47]. 

Derivatives of phenol or aniline can be oxidized to quinones, the yield and ease of oxidation depending on the substituents. If an amino or hydroxyl group is in the para position, the reaction proceeds readily, as illustrated by the synthesis of quinone from hydroquinone by oxidation with a sodium chlorate-vanadium pentoxide mixture (5>6%) or with chromic-sulfuric acid mixture (92%). A para halogen atom usually has a favorable effect. Any group in the para position is eliminated or oxidized. o-Quinones are usually prepared from the corresponding catechols. A survey of procedures for the synthesis of benzoquinones by oxidation has been made. ... 

Derivatives of 138 and some heptacyclic analogs were prepared from 2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone and phenols (57JOC342, 57MI2 60T135). When present, pyridine is incorporated into the newly formed molecule, and quinones like 144 were obtained (58MI2). 

Preparation.1 This maroon-colored chelate is prepared from N,N -disalicylalethylenediamine and cobalt (II) chloride. It can bind oxygen reversibly (102 2Co) both in the solid state and in various solvents.2 Van Dort and Geursen3 used it as a homogeneous catalyst for the oxidation of phenols by molecular oxygen. In methanol solution the main products from phenols with a free para position are the p-benzoquinones (yields 15-80%). In chloroform solution radical-complex products are sometimes the main products. 

When phenolate anions are used as substrates, phenazine dioxides are produced. The same product—2-hydroxyphenazine dioxide (173 R1 = H, R2 = OH)—is formed, whether phenol, resorcinol, hydroquinone, or benzoquinone is used,9,390,392 illustrating the variability of the relationship between the oxidation levels of the substrates and products. Benzofuroxan, a trialkylphosphine, and a quinone produce blue-violet phos-phonium betaine derivatives (e.g., 173 R1 = PR3+, R2 = 0-).393 The ether 173 (R1 = H, R2 = O-alkyl) is produced from a hydroquinone monoether.390 1-Hydroxyphenazine dioxide (173 R1 = OH, R2 = H) can be prepared from benzofuroxan, cyclohexane- 1,2-dione, and a base, followed by oxidation of the mixture of mono- and di-iV-oxide formed.394 /J-Naphthol provides benzo[a] phenazine dioxide (174).9,390... 

Artificial humic acids were produced, either chemically or enzymatically, from a variety of phenols, from sulphonated napthoquinone, and fromp-benzoquinone, together with numerous amino acids. Microbial decomposition of both natural and artificial humic acids was usually negligible. When model humic acids were prepared by reacting quinones formed from phenols, usually with amino acids present, it was observed that oxidation, polymerization, and polycondensation were more rapid in the presence of amino acids than in their absence. Evidently the amino acids participate in these reactions. Colorless products were formed initially which gradually darkened to reddish-brown and then brownish-black. These humic acids had many physical and chemical properties that corresponded closely to those of natural humic acids. 

This reaction was first reported by Haddadin and Issodorides in 1965. It is the preparation of quinoxaline-1,4-dioxides from the cycloaddition between benzofuroxan (i.e., benzofu-razan A -oxide) and dienes, a.y -unsaturated ketones, enamines, or enolates. Unfortunately, this reaction is not named after the authors who discovered it instead it is known as the Beirut reaction after the city in which the inventors carried out is the initial work. In most cases, ketones," /3-diketones, j8-ketoesters, )8-ketonitrile, LS-dinitrile, and/8-ketoamides all are suitable for this reaction, and the corresponding enolates can be easily prepared in the presence of a weak base such as triethylamine. In addition, even phenolic enolates from phenol, resorcinol, hydroquinone, or benzoquinone undergo a similar dehydrative condensation with benzofuroxan under mild conditions (e.g., Na0H/H20, H2O, MeOH/RNH2, Si02/MeCN at room temperature), to give phenazine iV,iV -dioxide derivatives. ... 

Salcomine is a useful catalyst for the selective oxygenation of 2,6-disubstituted phenols to the corresponding p-benzoquinones when dimethylformamide is used as the solvent laborious procedures are avoided and high yields of pure p-benzoquinones are obtained. Following the procedure described above, the authors have prepared 2,6-diphenyl-p-benzoquinone (m.p. 134—135°, yield 86%) and 2,6-dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone (m.p. 252°, yield 91%) from the appropriate phenols. 

Phenoxazin-3-ones and phenothiazin-3-ones can be prepared by the oxidation of the parent heterocycles in acidic media, but it is often more practical to employ condensation reactions between 2-amino-phenols or -thiols and quinones. Alizarin Green G (263), for example, is obtained from the aminophenol (261) and the 1,2-naphthoquinone (262). Similarly, 2-aminothiophenols (264) and 6-chloro-2-methoxy-l,4-benzoquinone (265) afford phenothiazin-3-ones (266) bearing methoxyl groups at position 1. 

In 1987, Kita and co-workers first developed a general and high yielding (59% quant.) route to p-benzoquinone monoacetals (2a) and spirolactones from para-substituted phenols (la) with PIFA in MeCN in the presence of alcohols (R"OH) [27]. Similar methods for preparing quinone monoacetals and quinol ethers have been developed independently by Lewis et al. (PIDA/CH2C12-R"OH (11-65% yields)) [28] and Pelter et al. (PIDA/R"OH (65-99% yields)) [29] [Eq.(l)]. 

A series of azophenol acerands 4 was prepared by condensation of crowned benzoquinones 10 with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine in ethanol [7b], The quinone was derived from p-methoxyphenol (6) as shown in Scheme 1 [8]. By bis(hy-droxymethylation) (67% yield of 6, followed by methylation (92%) of the phenol group and Williamson-type reaction with ditosylates of oligoethyleneglycol in the presence of sodium hydride, crowned 1,4-dimethoxybenzene 9 was obtained in reasonable yields. Oxidative demethylation of 9 with ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) in aqueous acetonitrile at 50 °C gave the desired crowned benzoquinones 10 in good yields. 

Analogously, in the presence of silica-supported palladium catalysts, benzene is oxidized under ambient conditions to give phenol, benzoquinone, hydroquinone and catechol [37b]. Palladium chloride, used for the catalyst preparation, is believed to be converted into metallic palladium. The synthesis of phenol from benzene and molecular oxygen via direct activation of a C-H bond by the catalytic system Pd(OAc)2-phenanthroline in the presence of carbon monoxide has been described [38]. The proposed mechanism includes the electrophilic attack of benzene by an active palladium-containing species to to produce a a-phenyl complex of palladium(ll). Subsequent activation of dioxygen by the Pd-phen-CO complex to form a Pd-OPh complex and its reaction with acetic acid yields phenol. The oxidation of propenoidic phenols by molecular oxygen is catalyzed by [A,A"-bis(salicylidene)ethane-l,2-diaminato]cobalt(ll)[Co(salen)] [39]. 

Radical anions from aromatics which are intermediates in Birch-type reductions were prepared sonochemically. Pyridine, quinoline, and indole sonicated with lithium in THF in the presence of trimethylsilyl chloride yield the bis-TMS dihydroaromatics, which can be reoxidized, by air or benzoquinone, in a rapid and easy method to prepare silyl-substituted aromatics. The procedure was extrapolated to phenols (Eq. 6). ... 

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