Demethylation—oxidation

Figure 5.45 Structures of (1) Bosentan (C27H29N5O6S [M + H]+ 552.1917) and three of its metabolites, formed by (2) oxidation (C27H29N5O7S [M + H]+ 568.1866), (3) demethylation (C26H27N5O6S [M- -H]+ 538.1760), and (4) demethylation-oxidation (C26H27N5O7S [M + M]+ 554.1709). Reprinted by permission of Elsevier Science from Exact mass measurement of product ions for the structural elucidation of drug metabolites with a tandem quadrupole orthogonal-acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometer , by Hopfgartner, G., Chemushevich, I. V., Covey, T., Plomley, 1. B. and Bonner, R., Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, Vol. 10, pp. 1305-1314, Copyright 1999 by the American Society for Mass Spectrometry.

Chaudhary V, Leisch H, Moudra A, Allen B, De Luca V, Cox DP, Hudlicky T (2009) Biotransformations of morphine alkaloids by fungi N-demethylations, oxidations, and reductions. Collect Czech Chem Commun 74 1179-1193... 

The biological transformations (methylation, demethylation, oxidation, and reduction) of arsenic were recognized in the mid-nineteenth century (5-7). Wood... 

Catechols, hydroquinones, and their methyl ethers readily afford quinones on Ce oxidation.Partial demethylative oxidation is feasible, as shown in the preparation of several intramolecular quinhydrones (eq 5) and a precursor of daunomy-cinone. Sometimes the dual oxidant system of CAN-NaBrOs is useful. In a synthesis of methoxatin (eq 6) the o-quinone moiety was generated from an aryl methyl ether. 

The achiral triene chain of (a//-rrans-)-3-demethyl-famesic ester as well as its (6-cis-)-isoiner cyclize in the presence of acids to give the decalol derivative with four chirai centres whose relative configuration is well defined (P.A. Stadler, 1957 A. Escherunoser, 1959 W.S. Johnson, 1968, 1976). A monocyclic diene is formed as an intermediate (G. Stork, 1955). With more complicated 1,5-polyenes, such as squalene, oily mixtures of various cycliz-ation products are obtained. The 18,19-glycol of squalene 2,3-oxide, however, cyclized in modest yield with picric acid catalysis to give a complex tetracyclic natural product with nine chiral centres. Picric acid acts as a protic acid of medium strength whose conjugated base is non-nucleophilic. Such acids activate oxygen functions selectively (K.B. Sharpless, 1970). 

Water-soluble sdanols such as (1) were found to undergo successive oxidative demethylations with tropospheric ultraviolet irradiation in the presence of suitable chromophores, such as nitrogen oxides (516). The water-soluble methylated sdicones did not promote diatom (Nap cu/apelliculosd) growth but the demethylated photo products did. The sequence of sod-induced degradation of sdicones to water-soluble species such as (1), followed by light-induced conversion to sdicate, suggests a pathway, conceptually at least, for the mineralization of sdicones. 

On distillation at atmospheric pressure, vanillin undergoes partial decomposition with the formation of pyrocatechol. This reaction was one of the first to be studied and contributed to the elucidation of its stmcture. Exposure to air causes vanillin to oxidize slowly to vanillic acid. When vanillin is exposed to light in an alcohoHc solution, a slow dimerization takes place with the formation of dehydrodivanillin. This compound is also formed in other solvents. When fused with alkaU (eq. 3), vanillin (I) undergoes oxidation and/or demethylation, yielding vanillic acid [121 -34-6] (8) and/or protocatechaic acid (2). 

Attempts to prepare 6-hydroxybenzofuroxan by demethylation of 5-methoxybenzofuroxan, by pyrolysis of 4-azido-3-nitrophenol, and by hypochlorite oxidation of 4-amino-3-nitrophenoD failed. This rather unstable compound was finally prepared by hydrolysis of 5-acetoxybenzofuroxan its tautomeric possibilities are numerous, but from the similarity of its ultraviolet spectrum to that of 5-methoxybenzofuroxan it was considered to be largely in the hydroxy form. It is a fairly strong acid, of pK 6.76 (cf. 5-hydroxybenzo-furazan, pK 7.28). 7-Hydroxy-4,6-dinitrobenzofuroxan has been reported as arising from oxidation and nitration of dinitrosoresorcinol monooxime (tetraoxocyclohexene trioxime). ... 

Pyrrolobenzotriazine 43 was obtained by reaction of 42 with nitrous acid. Its demethylation with boron tribromide gave 44, whose oxidation... 

The best characterized complexes [146] are prepared as shown in Figure 2.83. In synthesis (a) the first step involves demethylation of both ligands only one phosphine chelates, demonstrating the stability of square planar d8 iridium(I) on oxidation, the CO is displaced (as C02) and both ligands chelate. 

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