Dioxetanes oxygen

Dioxetanes are obtained from an a-halohydroperoxide by treatment with base (41), or reaction of singlet oxygen with an electron-rich olefin such as tetraethoxyethylene or 10,10 -dimethyl-9,9 -biacridan [23663-77-6] (16) (25,42). 

A number of chemiluminescent reactions may proceed through unstable dioxetane intermediates (12,43). For example, the classical chemiluminescent reactions of lophine [484-47-9] (18), lucigenin [2315-97-7] (20), and transannular peroxide decomposition. Classical chemiluminescence from lophine (18), where R = CgH, is derived from its reaction with oxygen in aqueous alkaline dimethyl sulfoxide or by reaction with hydrogen peroxide and a cooxidant such as sodium hypochlorite or potassium ferricyanide (44). The hydroperoxide (19) has been isolated and independentiy emits light in basic ethanol (45). 

Classical chemiluminescence from lucigenin (20) is obtained from its reaction with hydrogen peroxide in water at a pH of about 10 Qc is reported to be about 0.5% based on lucigenin, but 1.6% based on the product A/-methylacridone which is formed in low yield (46). Lucigenin dioxetane (17) has been prepared by singlet oxygen addition to an electron-rich olefin (16) at low temperature (47). Thermal decomposition of (17) gives of 1.6% (47). 

Dioxetane decomposition has also been proposed to account for chemiluminescence from other reactions (43), including gas-phase reactions of singlet oxygen with ethylene and vinyl ethers (53). 

Characteristic reactions of singlet oxygen lead to 1,2-dioxetane (addition to olefins), hydroperoxides (reaction with aHyhc hydrogen atom), and endoperoxides (Diels-Alder "4 -H 2" cycloaddition). Many specific examples of these spectrally sensitized reactions are found iu reviews (45—48), earlier texts (15), and elsewhere iu the Engchpedia. 

Another interesting cycloaddition, the detailed mechanism of which is still under investigation, is the addition of singlet oxygen to alkenes producing 1,2-dioxetanes (Section 5.15.3.3.2). 

The electrolysis of adamantylideneadamantane solutions affords the radical cation, which can add molecular (triplet) oxygen to give the peroxide radical anion, which can react with adamantylideneadamantane to give the 1,4-diradical and another molecule of adamantylideneadamantane radical cation. The latter reacts with oxygen, to continue the chain of the reaction, while the former cyclizes to the corresponding 1,2-dioxetane (Scheme 18) (81JA2098). 

One is the concerted decomposition of a dioxetanone structure that is proposed for the chemiluminescence and bioluminescence of both firefly luciferin (Hopkins et al., 1967 McCapra et al., 1968 Shimomura et al., 1977) and Cypridina luciferin (McCapra and Chang, 1967 Shimomura and Johnson, 1971). The other is the linear decomposition mechanism that has been proposed for the bioluminescence reaction of fireflies by DeLuca and Dempsey (1970), but not substantiated. In the case of the Oplopborus bioluminescence, investigation of the reaction pathway by 180-labeling experiments has shown that one O atom of the product CO2 derives from molecular oxygen, indicating that the dioxetanone pathway takes place in this bioluminescence system as well (Shimomura et al., 1978). It appears that the involvement of a dioxetane intermediate is quite widespread in bioluminescence. 

Cycloaddition reactions can occur with retention of configuration in the pseudoexcitation band (Sect 1.1) whereas [2jt H-2jtJ reactions are symmetry-forbidden in the delocalization band. Experimental evidence is available for the stereospecific [2-1-2] cycloaddition reactions between A and olefins with retention of configuration (Scheme 14) [82]. A perepoxide intermediate was reported to be trapped in the epoxide form [83] in the reaction of adamantylideneadamantane with singlet oxygen affording dioxetane derivatives [84]. 

Carotene cleavage enzymes — Two pathways have been described for P-carotene conversion to vitamin A (central and eccentric cleavage pathways) and reviewed recently. The major pathway is the central cleavage catalyzed by a cytosolic enzyme, p-carotene 15,15-oxygenase (BCO EC 1.13.1.21 or EC 1.14.99.36), which cleaves p-carotene at its central double bond (15,15 ) to form retinal. Two enzymatic mechanisms have been proposed (1) a dioxygenase reaction (EC 1.13.11.21) that requires O2 and yields a dioxetane as an intermediate and (2) a monooxygenase reaction (EC 1.14.99.36) that requires two oxygen atoms from two different sources (O2 and H2O) and yields an epoxide as an intermediate. ... 

Other speculative mechanisms [26] may be proposed based on the presence of singlet oxygen and C = C in oxidized polymer. The reaction of the latter may lead to the transient formation of dioxetanes, the decomposition of which has an even higher quantum yield of luminescence than CIEEL mechanism [27],... 

A peculiar effect was observed in the decomposition of 19 a with anthracene as fluorescer when oxygen was carefully removed from the solutions an increase of the chemiluminescence decay rate and of the dioxetane cleavage resulted. It was suggested that this was due to a catalytic effect of triplet anthracene (formed by energy transfer from triplet formate) on the decomposition of the dioxetane. When oxygen is present, triplet anthracene is quenched. Whether such a catalytic effect of triplet anthracene or similar compounds on dioxetane cleavage actually exists has not yet been fully established positive effects were observed by M. M. Rauhut and coworkers 24> in oxalate chemiluminescence and by S. Mazur and C. S. Foote 80> in the chemiluminescent decomposition of tetramethoxy-dioxetane, where zinc tetraphenylporphy-rin seems to exert a catalytic effect. However, the decomposition of trimethyl dioxetane exhibits no fluorescer catalysis 78h... 

Dioxetan-ones appear to be intermediates in the chemiluminescent reaction of singlet oxygen with ketenes, in the presence of fluorescers 81> ... 

The dioxetane derivative 79 may be formed as intermediate in the brilliant chemiluminescence reaction between 10,10 -dimethyl-9,9 -bi-acridylidene and excited-singlet oxygen 125>. Chemiluminescence also occurs when potassium cyanide is added to lucigenin solutions in the... 

Certain Schiff bases, i.e. 122, were synthesized as model compounds for Latia luciferin. This compound exhibits strong blue chemiluminescence ( max 385 nm) on oxidation with oxygen in DMSO/potassium t.-butylate, the main products being acetone and 2-formamido pyridine 124. The mechanism suggested by Me Capra and Wrigglesworth includes the concerted bond cleavage of a dioxetane derivative 123. 

Singlet oxygen reacts with electron rich or highly strained alkenes to form 1,2-dioxetanes. These four-membered ring peroxides decompose on warming to two carbonyl compounds (or moieties), usually with appearance of light emission (chemiluminescence). The macrocyclic bis-lactone in (6.17)608>, a musk fragrance, has been synthesized via such a sequence. 

Enamines which cannot undergo ene-like reactions add efficiently to singlet oxygen. The intermediate dioxetane can be cleaved under mild conditions to afford a ketone (and an amide). Such a sequence has been applied in a synthesis of testosterone (6.18) 624). 

This compound chemiluminesces when exposed to air or oxygen. Its CL was first demonstrated by Fletcher and Heller [47, 48] and suggested to occur via formation of a dioxetane by addition of oxygen across the ethylenic double bond. Cleavage of the dioxetane to form excited tetramethylurea results in excitation of the tetrakis (dimethylamino) ethylene, whose CL is in good agreement with the fluorescence spectrum of the parent compound. The reaction has been used for the analysis of oxygen [49, 50],... 

In order to rationalize the complex reaction mixtures in these slurry reactions the authors suggested that irradiations of the oxygen CT complexes resulted in simultaneous formation of an epoxide and dioxetane36 (Fig. 34). The epoxide products were isolated only when pyridine was co-included in the zeolite during the reaction. Collapse of the 1,1-diarylethylene radical cation superoxide ion pair provides a reasonable explanation for the formation of the dioxetane, however, epoxide formation is more difficult to rationalize. However, we do point out that photochemical formation of oxygen atoms has previously been observed in other systems.141 All the other products were formed either thermally or photochemically from these two primary photoproducts (Fig. 34). The thermal (acid catalyzed) formation of 1,1-diphenylacetaldehyde from the epoxide during photooxygenation of 30 (Fig. 34) was independently verified by addition of an authentic sample of the epoxide to NaY. The formation of diphenylmethane in the reaction of 30 but not 31 is also consistent with the well-established facile (at 254 nm but not 366 or 420 nm) Norrish Type I... 

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