Equilibrium epoxidation

The competitive adsorption isotherms were determined experimentally for the separation of chiral epoxide enantiomers at 25 °C by the adsorption-desorption method [37]. A mass balance allows the knowledge of the concentration of each component retained in the particle, q, in equilibrium with the feed concentration, < In fact includes both the adsorbed phase concentration and the concentration in the fluid inside pores. This overall retained concentration is used to be consistent with the models presented for the SMB simulations based on homogeneous particles. The bed porosity was taken as = 0.4 since the total porosity was measured as Ej = 0.67 and the particle porosity of microcrystalline cellulose triacetate is p = 0.45 [38]. This procedure provides one point of the adsorption isotherm for each component (Cp q. The determination of the complete isotherm will require a set of experiments using different feed concentrations. To support the measured isotherms, a dynamic method of frontal chromatography is implemented based on the analysis of the response curves to a step change in feed concentration (adsorption) followed by the desorption of the column with pure eluent. It is well known that often the selectivity factor decreases with the increase of the concentration of chiral species and therefore the linear -i- Langmuir competitive isotherm was used ... 

In the third sequence, the diastereomer with a /i-epoxide at the C2-C3 site was targeted (compound 1, Scheme 6). As we have seen, intermediate 11 is not a viable starting substrate to achieve this objective because it rests comfortably in a conformation that enforces a peripheral attack by an oxidant to give the undesired C2-C3 epoxide (Scheme 4). If, on the other hand, the exocyclic methylene at C-5 was to be introduced before the oxidation reaction, then given the known preference for an s-trans diene conformation, conformer 18a (Scheme 6) would be more populated at equilibrium. The A2 3 olefin diastereoface that is interior and hindered in the context of 18b is exterior and accessible in 18a. Subjection of intermediate 11 to the established three-step olefination sequence gives intermediate 18 in 54% overall yield. On the basis of the rationale put forth above, 18 should exist mainly in conformation 18a. Selective epoxidation of the C2-C3 enone double bond with potassium tm-butylperoxide furnishes a 4 1 mixture of diastereomeric epoxides favoring the desired isomer 19 19 arises from a peripheral attack on the enone double bond by er/-butylper-oxide, and it is easily purified by crystallization. A second peripheral attack on the ketone function of 19 by dimethylsulfonium methylide gives intermediate 20 exclusively, in a yield of 69%. 

It is appropriate at this juncture to address some of the more useful transformations of 2,3-epoxy alcohols.913 A 2,3-epoxy alcohol such as compound 14 possesses two obvious electrophilic sites one at C-2, and the other at C-3. But in addition, C-l of a 2,3-epoxy alcohol also has latent electrophilic reactivity. For example, exposure of 14 to aqueous sodium hydroxide solution results in the formation of triol 19 in 79% yield (see Scheme 5). In this interesting transformation, hydroxide ion induces the establishment of an equilibrium between 2,3-epoxy-l-ol 14 and the isomeric 1,2-epoxy-3-ol 18. This reversible, base-induced epoxide migration reaction is a process known as the Payne rearrangement.14... 

An acetyl group in the 2-position favors the monocyclic structure presumably because of the resonance stabilization.12 The same observation was made with oxepin-2,7-dicarbaldehyde, oxepin-2,7-dicarboxylic acid, and oxepin-2,7-dicarbonitrile.23 Substituents in the 4- and 5-positions of the oxepin such as methyl or methoxycarbonyl groups shift the equilibrium towards the epoxide.12 24 Low temperature 1H NMR studies on 7-ethyloxepin-2-carbonitrile and ethyl 7-ethyloxepin-2-carboxylate established a nonplanar boat geometry with a ring-inversion harrier of 6.5 kcal mol-1.25... 

Equation 1 expresses a state of equilibrium between an alcohol A. on a molecule whose degree of polymerization is j, the catalyst C and the alkoxide anion A.C. In Relation 2 this activated intermediate reacts with monomeric anhydride A, forming an acid adduct A.AC, which dissociates, forming an unassociable carboxylic acid A.A. Reactions 3-5 depict the union of a carboxylic intermediate with a monomeric epoxide E, or with pendant oxiranes on macromole- ... 

In this contribution, we report equilibrium modulus and sol fraction measurements on diepoxidet-monoepoxide-diamine networks and polyoxypropylene triol-diisocyanate networks and a comparison with calculated values. A practically zero (epoxides) or low (polyurethanes) Mooney-Rivlin constant C and a low and accounted for wastage of bonds in elastically inactive cycles are the advantages of the systems. Plots of reduced modulus against the gel fraction have been used, because they have been found to minimize the effect of EIC, incompleteness of the reaction, or possible errors in analytical characteristics (16-20). A full account of the work on epoxy and polyurethane networks including the statistical derivation of various structural parameters will be published separately elsewhere. 

The organic substrates in Chart 8 can be divided into two main categories in which (i) the oxidation of olefins, sulfides, and selenides involves oxygen atom transfer to yield epoxides, sulfoxides, and selenoxides, respectively, whereas (ii) the oxidation of hydroquinones and quinone dioximes formally involves loss of two electrons and two protons to yield quinones and dinitrosobenzenes, respectively. In order to provide a unifying mechanistic theme for the seemingly disparate transformations in Chart 8, we note that nitrogen dioxide exists in equilibrium with its dimeric forms, namely, the predominant N—N bonded dimer 02N—N02 and the minor N—O bonded isomer ONO—N02 (equation 88). 

Introduction of mesityl groups at the porphyrin ring can prevent the formation of the dimeric products and the reaction with dioxygen now leads to ruthenium(VI)-dioxo complexes of TMP (tetramesitylporphyrin) [35], The tram-Ru(VI)02-TM P species can catalyse the epoxidation of alkenes as well as whole range of other oxidation reactions. After transfer of one oxygen atom to an organic substrate Ru(IV)0-TMP is formed, which disproportionates to an equilibrium of Ru02 and llu ). 

Another isomerization reaction of arene oxides is equilibrium with oxe-pins [5], Here, the fused six-membered carbocycle and three-membered oxirane merge to form a seven-membered heterocycle, as shown in Fig. 10.2. An extensive computational and experimental study involving 75 epoxides of monocyclic, bicyclic, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons has revealed much information on the structural factors that influence the reaction rate and position of equilibrium [11], Thus, some compounds were stable as oxepins (e.g., naphthalene 2,3-oxide), while others exhibited a balanced equilibrium... 

Fig. 10.30. Structure of aflatoxin B1 exo-8,9-epoxide (10.132), the dihydrodiol resulting from hydrolysis (10.133), and the reactive a-hydroxy dialdehyde (10.134) that exists in equilibrium with the diol under alkaline conditions [204]...

A further remarkable finding in the hydrolysis of aflatoxin B1 exo-8,9-epoxide is the relative instability of the dihydrodiol, which under basic conditions exists in equilibrium with an aflatoxin dialdehyde, more precisely a furofuran-ring-opened oxy anionic a-hydroxy dialdehyde (10.134, Fig. 10.30). The dihydrodiol is the predominant or exclusive species at pH < 7, whereas this is true for the dialdehyde at pH >9, the pK value of the equilibrium being 8.2 [204], The dialdehyde is known to form Schiff bases with primary amino groups leading to protein adducts. However, the slow rate of dialdehyde formation at physiological pH and its reduction by rat and human aldo-keto reductases cast doubts on the toxicological relevance of this pathway [206]. 

Detection of heptachlor epoxide may indicate either recent or past exposure. This compound has a long half-life, particularly in adipose tissue, because it is very lipophilic. Because of its highly lipophilic nature, heptachlor epoxide remains accumulated in adipose tissue for months to years. However, it is eventually mobilized into the serum and subsequently to the liver for further breakdown. Blood serum levels are often taken to indicate a recent exposure. Following long-term exposure, the level in the blood may be very low, but because of an equilibrium between fat and blood, it can be used to detect exposure to heptachlor epoxide. Thirty-five human adipose tissue samples were obtained during autopsy between 1987 and 1988 from residents of North Texas (Adeshina and Todd 1990). In 97% of these samples, there were measurable levels of heptachlor... 

Heptachlor is hydrolyzed in surface water and distilled water to 1-hydroxychlordene. When heptachlor was added to a sample of river water maintained at room temperature and exposed to sunlight, only 25% remained after 1 week, and no heptachlor remained after the 2nd week. The 75% loss of heptachlor after 1 week corresponds to a half-life of 3.5 days. The products formed were identified as 1- hydroxychlordene and heptachlor epoxide. It was observed that an equilibrium exists at the end of 4 weeks between 1-hydroxychlordene and heptachlor epoxide, so that approximately 60% of the converted heptachlor remained as 1-hydroxychlordene and 40% was converted to the epoxide. When heptachlor epoxide was added to a sample of river water (pH 7.3-8) and to distilled water, it remained unchanged for 8 weeks. A half-life of at least 4 years was calculated for heptachlor epoxide (Eichelberger and Lichtenberg 1971). 

The marked stereoselectivities and clean solid-state reactions of oxiranes were used for synthetic purposes in the steroid field. The stereospecifically obtained trans-chlorohydrins 147 ensue quantitatively from the crystalline 5a,6a-epoxides 146 with gaseous HCl [77]. Similarly, the crystalline 16a,17a-epoxide 148 reacts with gaseous HCl to yield exclusively the traws-chlorohydrin 149 which easily loses HCl to re-form the starting epoxide 148. Therefore, an equilibrium situation is reached in that case [77] (Scheme 16). 

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