Hydrogen peroxide Epoxidation

Metal-Catalyzed Epoxidation. Hydrogen peroxide is able to convert alkenes to epoxides in the presence of metal catalysts. Several metal oxides (Mo03, W03, Se02, V205) are known to catalyze such epoxidations.2,245,278,279 All these catalysts form stable inorganic peracids, and these peracids are supposedly involved in epoxidation in a process similar to organic peracids. 

Key Words Lewis acid adducts, Radical oxidations, Epoxidation, Hydrogen peroxide, Bond dissociation energy, Catalyst durability, Methyltrioxorhenium, Cross-bridged cyclam, Mn(IV), Late transition metal. Propylene oxide. Titanium silicalite (TS-1) catalyst, Ethylanthrahydroquinone/H2 process, Polyoxometallates, Mn(IV) catalyst. Hydrogen abstraction. Rebound mechanism, Isotopic label, t-BuOOH, Peroxide adduct. 2008 Elsevier B.v. 

Key Words Carbonic anhydrase, Enantioselective epoxidation. Hydrogen peroxide. 

Oxirans.—All the stereoisomeric methyl 2,3-anhydro-6-deoxy-DL-hexopyranosides or their 4-O-acetyl derivatives or both have been prepared by epoxidation (hydrogen peroxide-benzonitrile) of methyl 2,3,6-trideoxy-oL-hex-2-enopyrano-sides or their 4-acetates. ... 

The reaction of perfluoroalkenes with alkaline hydrogen peroxide is a good general method for the preparation of the corresponding epoxides with the exception of the most reactive of the series, TFEO (eq. 6). 

The alkene is allowed to react at low temperatures with a mixture of aqueous hydrogen peroxide, base, and a co-solvent to give a low conversion of the alkene (29). These conditions permit reaction of the water-insoluble alkene and minimise the subsequent ionic reactions of the epoxide product. Phase-transfer techniques have been employed (30). A variation of this scheme using a peroxycarbimic acid has been reported (31). 

R, R -Tartaric (racemic) acid is obtained synthetically by epoxidation of maleic acid with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a catalyst followed... 

Arsenic Peroxides. Arsenic peroxides have not been isolated however, elemental arsenic, and a great variety of arsenic compounds, have been found to be effective catalysts ia the epoxidation of olefins by aqueous hydrogen peroxide. Transient peroxoarsenic compounds are beheved to be iavolved ia these systems. Compounds that act as effective epoxidation catalysts iaclude arsenic trioxide, arsenic pentoxide, arsenious acid, arsenic acid, arsenic trichloride, arsenic oxychloride, triphenyl arsiae, phenylarsonic acid, and the arsenates of sodium, ammonium, and bismuth (56). To avoid having to dispose of the toxic residues of these reactions, the arsenic can be immobi1i2ed on a polystyrene resia (57). 

Obsolete uses of urea peroxohydrate, as a convenient source of aqueous hydrogen peroxide, include the chemical deburring of metals, as a topical disinfectant and mouth wash, and as a hairdresser s bleach. In the 1990s the compound has been studied as a laboratory oxidant in organic chemistry (99,100). It effects epoxidation, the Baeyer-Villiger reaction, oxidation of aromatic amines to nitro compounds, and the conversion of sodium and nitrogen compounds to S—O and N—O compounds. 

Maltol. Otsuka Chemical Co. in Japan has operated several electroorganic processes on a small commercial scale. It has used plate and frame and aimular cells at currents in the range of 4500—6000 A (133). The process for the synthesis of maltol [118-71 -8], a food additive and flavor enhancer, starts from furfural [98-01-1] (see Food additives Flavors and spices). The electrochemical step is the oxidation of a-methylfurfural to give a cycHc acetal. The remaining reaction sequence is acid-catalyzed ring expansion, epoxidation with hydrogen peroxide, and then acid-catalyzed rearrangement to yield maltol, ie ... 

The selective epoxidation of ethylene by hydrogen peroxide ia a 1,4-dioxane solvent ia the presence of an arsenic catalyst is claimed. No solvent degradation is observed. Ethylene oxide is the only significant product detected. The catalyst used may be either elemental arsenic, an arsenic compound, or both. 

Nucleophilic opening of oxiranes to give ultimately 1,2-diols is usually effected without isolation of the oxirane oxiranation (epoxidation) of alkenes with unbuffered peroxy-ethanoic acid or hydrogen peroxide in methanoic acid (Section 5.05.4.2.2(/)) tends to give monoesters of 1,2-diols (e.g. 53), which can be hydrolyzed to the diols (Scheme 46). 

Although the first and still most important epoxide resins are of the glycidyl ether type, other epoxide resins have been commercially marketed in recent years. These materials are generally prepared by epoxidising unsaturated compounds using hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid. 

The high degree of stereoselectivity associated with most syntheses and reactions of oxiranes accounts for the enormous utility of these systems in steroid syntheses. Individual selectivity at various positions in the steroid nucleus necessitates the discussion of a collection of uniquely specific reactions used in the synthesis of steroidal epoxides. The most convenient and generally applicable methods involve the peracid, the alkaline hydrogen peroxide and the halohydrin reactions. Several additional but more limited techniques are also available. 

Double bonds in a,/3-unsaturated keto steroids can be selectively oxidized with alkaline hydrogen peroxide to yield epoxy ketones. In contrast to the electrophilic addition mechanism of peracids, the mechanism of alkaline epoxidation involves nucleophilic attack of hydroperoxide ion on the con-... 

Thus, reaction of 3 -acetoxypregna-5,16-dien-20-one (48) with alkaline hydrogen peroxide produces the 16a,17a-epoxide in 95 % yield, and only a 2% yield of the 16, 17 -epoxide. ... 

Nonconjugated double bonds fail to react with alkaline hydrogen peroxide, e.g., see ref. 53, 54 and 56a. The 1,2-double bond of A " -3-ketones e.g., 61, reacts with alkaline peroxide to give the la,2a-epoxide in over 70% yield.""... 

Epoxidation of a, -Unsaturated Ketones with Alkaline Hydrogen Peroxide ... 

The presence of 9a-fluorme in the molecule of a 1 iP-hydroxy-8 -3-keto steroid causes completely stereospeafic alkalme epoxidation with hydrogen peroxide m a much slower reacuon (4 days vs 4 h) compared with the nonfluonnated analogue [21]... 

Hydroxylation of terminal (syfluoroalkenes is accomplished by a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and formic add. The first step obviously is the formation of epoxide followed by nng opening [28] (equation 10)... 

A very common oxidizing reagent is peroxytrifluoroacetic acid, which is usually generated in situ from trifluoroacetic acid [29, 30, 31] or trifluoroacetic anhydride [32, 33, 34] and hydrogen peroxide Peroxytrifluoroacetic acid is one of the most efficient epoxidizing reagents [35] It can be used to prepare epoxides... 

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