Bicyclic endoperoxides

Similarly, the cyclobutane-fused bicyclic peroxide 19 was prepared by diimide reduction of the corresponding bicyclic endoperoxide derived from 1,3,5-cyclooctatriene (Eq. 14)31a). 

As in the case of linear peroxidation products, the initiation step of the formation of isoprostanes is the abstraction of a hydrogen atom from unsaturated acids by a radical of initiator. Initiation is followed by the addition of oxygen to allylic radicals and the cyclization of peroxyl radicals into bicyclic endoperoxide radicals, which form hydroperoxides reacting with hydrogen donors. 

As follows from the above mechanism, to form stable trihydroxy compounds, bicyclic endoperoxides must be reduced. It was found that glutathione may be an efficient reductant... 

Studies on the mode of activity of the antimalarials related to artemisinin have centred on simpler 1,2,4-trioxanes, 1,2,4,5-tetraoxanes and bicyclic endoperoxides <00H(52)1345 00JCS(P1)1265 00JMC2753 00TL3145>. The chemical and electro-chemical reduction of artemisinin has been reported <00JCS(P1)4279>. 

The dialkyl denomination also includes cyclic peroxides (endoperoxides). The most significant route for peroxide formation is probably that of autoxidation of organic materials, leading to their gradual degradation. Although hydroperoxides are the main products of this process, also peroxyesters are formed, as is the case, for example, of isoprostane bicyclic endoperoxides (25) mentioned in Section II.A.2.C. 

In the first proposal of a mechanism for chemiluminescent luminol oxidation, Albrecht postulates a bicyclic endoperoxide as the high-energy intermediate. The endoperoxide is presumably formed by nucleophilic attack of hydrogen peroxide monoanion on one of the diazaquinone 27 carbonylic groups to form 28, followed, after deprotonation to 29, by ring closure to 30 (Scheme 21) . 

Bicyclic endoperoxide antimalarials, such as arteflene (5) and naturally occurring ying-zhaosu A (7) and endoperoxide 8, share a unique feature of this class of compounds in their peroxide bond. As mentioned earlier, the peroxide bond of artemisinin has... 

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