Copper aliphatic hydroxylation

Numerous papers have been published in recent years which are devoted to the synthesis and reactions [98], structural [99], spectroscopic [100], theoretical [101], and mechanistic [102] studies of copper complexes, especially multinuclear copper complexes which are related to aromatic and aliphatic hydroxylation enzymes (also see reviews [103]). The reactions between molecular oxygen and such complexes give rise usually to the formation of hydroxylated compounds [104]. Two examples of intramolecular hydroxylation are shown in Scheme XL 19. Copper ions and their complexes are known to cata-... 

Synthetic copper complexes which can activate dioxygen and hydroxylate aliphatic C-H bonds are of great importance, both for shedding light on common industrial processes which employ copper catalysts and also as models for the copper monooxygenases mentioned above, such as OPM, PAM, and pMMO. 

A single copper containing protein with a requirement for ascorbic acid—p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate oxidase—catalyses the simultaneous hydroxylation of the phenyl ring, migration of the aliphatic side chain to an adjacent position on the ring, and oxidative decarboxylation of the pyruvate fragment . The enzyme... 

---