Naphthoquinones, oxidation

It is dangerous to prepare phthalic anhydride because of the oxidation exothermicity and risks of accidental catalysis by rust. This reaction forms naphthoquinone as a by-product. This compound may have caused a large number of accidents (that caused the compounds to ignite spontaneously) causing the compounds to combust. These accidents may have been caus by the naphthoquinone oxidation catalysed by iron phthalates, which are present in this reaction. However, it will be seen later that phthalic anhydride can also decompose in certain conditions that may be combined here. 

Prekinamycin (35), like kinamycins A-F, was isolated from Streptomyces murayamaensis. Carbazole 33, a regioisomer of 7-deoxyprekinamycin (34), was synthesized in only four steps utilizing Pd(OAc), promoted oxidative cyclization as the pivotal step [27]. Similar to Furukawa s approach, the anilino-l,4-naphthoquinone 32 was obtained via Michael addition of the corresponding 2-methoxy-4-methyl-aniline to 1,4-naphthoquinone. Oxidative cyclization proceeded in 84% yield. 

The term vitamin K2 was applied to 2-methyl-3-difarnesyl-l,4-naphthoquinone, m.p. 54 C, isolated from putrefied fish meal. It now includes a group of related natural compounds ( menaquinones ), differing in the number of isoprene units in the side chain and in their degree of unsaturation. These quinones also appear to be involved in the electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation. 

Alkaline permanganate. Heat under reflux i g. of i,2 naph thoquinone, 50 ml. of saturated aqueous KMn04 solution and 2 g. of anhydrous NajCO for 30 minutes. Then proceed as for oxidation of benzyl chloride (p. 393). 1,2-Naphthoquinone gives phthalic acid, m.p. 195°. Phenanthraquinone gives diphenic acid, HOOC CeH CeH COOH, m.p. 229°. 

Benzoquinone ( quinone ) is obtained as the end product of the oxidation of aniline by acid dichromate solution. Industrially, the crude product is reduced with sulphur dioxide to hydroquinone, and the latter is oxidised either with dichromate mixture or in very dilute sulphuric acid solution with sodium chlorate in the presence of a little vanadium pentoxide as catalyst. For the preparation in the laboratory, it is best to oxidise the inexpensive hydroquinone with chromic acid or with sodium chlorate in the presence of vanadium pent-oxide. Naphthalene may be converted into 1 4-naphthoquinone by oxidation with chromic acid. 

Donor substituents on the vinyl group further enhance reactivity towards electrophilic dienophiles. Equations 8.6 and 8.7 illustrate the use of such functionalized vinylpyrroles in indole synthesis[2,3]. In both of these examples, the use of acetyleneic dienophiles leads to fully aromatic products. Evidently this must occur as the result of oxidation by atmospheric oxygen. With vinylpyrrole 8.6A, adducts were also isolated from dienophiles such as methyl acrylate, dimethyl maleate, dimethyl fumarate, acrolein, acrylonitrile, maleic anhydride, W-methylmaleimide and naphthoquinone. These tetrahydroindole adducts could be aromatized with DDQ, although the overall yields were modest[3]. 

Oxidation. Naphthalene may be oxidized direcdy to 1-naphthalenol (1-naphthol [90-15-3]) and 1,4-naphthoquinone, but yields are not good. Further oxidation beyond 1,4-naphthoquinone [130-15-4] results in the formation of ortho- h. h5 ic acid [88-99-3], which can be dehydrated to form phthaUc anhydride [85-44-9]. The vapor-phase reaction of naphthalene over a catalyst based on vanadium pentoxide is the commercial route used throughout the world. In the United States, the one phthaUc anhydride plant currently operating on naphthalene feedstock utilizes a fixed catalyst bed. The fiuid-bed process plants have all been shut down, and the preferred route used in the world is the fixed-bed process. 

Diels-Alder Reaction. In 1928, Diels and Alder discovered that 1,3-unsaturated organic compounds reacted with quinoid systems to give partially hydrogenated, cycHc compounds. In the course of their work, they found that 1 mol of 1,4-naphthoquinone [130-15-4] reacted readily with 1 mol of 1,3-butadiene [106-99-0] to give a partially hydrogenated anthraquinone (11) l,4,4a,9a-tetrahydro-9,10-anthracenedione [56136-14-2] which, on oxidation with chromic oxide, produced anthraquinone (43) ... 

Industrially, vitamin is prepared from the chromic acid oxidation of 2-methylnaphthalene (56). Although the yields are low, the process is economical owing to the low cost and availabiUty of the starting material and the oxidizing agent. However, the process is compHcated by the formation of isomeric 6-meth5l-l,4-naphthoquinone. As a result, efforts have been directed to develop process technology to faciUtate the separation of the isomeric naphthoquinone and to improve selectivity of the oxidation. 

In order to circumvent this problem, there has been significant activity directed toward the search for a less environmentally toxic and more selective oxidizing agent than chromium. For example, Hoechst has patented a process which uses organorhenium compounds. At a 75% conversion, a mixture of 86% of 2-methyl-l,4-naphthoquinone and 14% 6-methyl-l,4-naphthoquinone was obtained (60). Ceric sulfate (61) and electrochemistry (62,63) have also been used. 

In 1885, from a detailed study of juglone (52) it was proposed that its stmcture was 5-hydroxy-l,4-naphthoquinone (9). This stmcture was confirmed by oxidizing 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene with potassium dichromate in sulfuric acid (53). Juglone occurs in walnuts as a glycoside of its reduced form, 1,4,5-trihydroxynaphthalene (54). Later it was deterrnined that the sugar is in the 4-position (10) (55). 

Oxidation of thiophene with peracid under carefully controlled conditions gives a mixture of thiophene sulfoxide and 2-hydroxythiophene sulfoxide. These compounds are trapped by addition to benzoquinone to give ultimately naphthoquinone (225) and its 5-hydroxy derivative (226) (76ACS(B)353). The further oxidation of the sulfoxide yields the sulfone, which may function as a diene or dienophile in the Diels-Alder reaction (Scheme 88). An azulene synthesis involves the addition of 6-(A,A-dimethylamino)fulvene (227) to a thiophene sulfone (77TL639, 77JA4199). 

Amines can also be protected by this reagent cleavage must be carried c acidic media to avoid amine oxidation. The byproduct naphthoquinone can 1 moved by extraction with basic hydrosulfite. Ceric ammonium nitrate also s as an oxidant for deprotection, but the yields are much lower. 

A) -Naphthoquinone.—For the best results this preparation must be carried out rapidly. The vessels and reagents required should be made ready in advance. The oxidizing solution is prepared by dissolving 240 g. (0.89 mole) of ferric chloride hexahydrate in a mixture of go cc. of concentrated hydrochloric acid and 200 cc. of water with heating, cooling to room temperature by the addition of 200-300 g. of ice, and filtering the solution by suction. 

The only satisfactory method of preparing /3-naphthoquinone is by the oxidation of 1,2-aminonaphthol in acid solution, and the chief problem involved is that of the preparation of this intermediate in suitable yield and purity. This problem and the literature pertaining to it are discussed elsewhere. Most reports of the preparation of the aminonaphthol include some description of its oxidation, but the only particularly helpful comment on the reaction is that ferric chloride is a better oxidizing agent than chromic acid because at a low temperature it docs not attack the quinone, even when present in excess. ... 

The reaction mechanism has not been elucidated. It is possible that formaldehyde reacts by oxidation as in the Marquis reaction (see formaldehyde — sulfuric acid reagent), whereby colored salts are formed with naphthoquinone sulfonic acid. 

The toxic influence exerted by Juglans nigra (black walnut) on other plants has been attributed to 5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (juglone) (11,31). Hydrojuglone is present in the root bark, leaves, and fruit husks. This compound is not considered toxic, but it is oxidized to the toxic juglone upon exposure to air (51). Rainfall... 

The fact that pentacarbonyl carbene complexes react with enynes in a chemo-selective and regiospecific way at the alkyne functionality was successfully applied in the total synthesis of vitamins of the Kj and K2 series [58]. Oxidation of the intermediate tricarbonyl(dihydrovitamin K) chromium complexes with silver oxide afforded the desired naphthoquinone-based vitamin K compounds 65. Compared to customary strategies, the benzannulation reaction proved to be superior as it avoids conditions favouring (E)/(Z)-isomerisation within the allylic side chain. The basic representative vitamin K3 (menadione) 66 was synthesised in a straightforward manner from pentacarbonyl carbene complex 1 and propyne (Scheme 38). 

Nanaomycin A 103 and deoxyfrenolicin 108 are members of a group of naphthoquinone antibiotics based on the isochroman skeleton. The therapeutic potential of these natural products has attracted considerable attention, and different approaches towards their synthesis have been reported [65,66]. The key step in the total synthesis of racemic nanaomycin A 103 is the chemo-and regioselective benzannulation reaction of carbene complex 101 and allylacety-lene 100 to give allyl-substituted naphthoquinone 102 after oxidative workup in 52% yield [65] (Scheme 47). The allyl functionality is crucial for a subsequent intramolecular alkoxycarbonylation to build up the isochroman structure. However, modest yields and the long sequence required to introduce the... 

In addition to the oxidation-reduction potentials data, two sets of infrared carbonyl stretching frequencies were correlated with eqs. (2) and (30). Of these, one set, Pqq for 2-substituted 1,4-naphthoquinones, gave significant results, with Pr of about 50. While the other set did not give significant correlation, it contained only four points. Although the sharp difference between pr for vqq and pR for Ep correlations of 2-substituted 1,4-naphthoquinones is worthy of note, it should not be discussed until it is confirmed by further work. 

Identical kinetics are exhibited in the analogous oxidations of 1- and 2-methoxynaphthalene to 4-methoxyl-l-naphthyl acetate and 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone respectively . In these cases the radical-cations may react with acetate ion thus... 

Thor, H., Smith, M.T., Hartzell, P., Bellomo, G., Jewell, S.A. and Orrenius, S. (1982). The metabolism of menadione (2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) by isolated hepatocytes. A study of the impact of oxidative stress in the intact cell. J. Biol. Chem. 257, 12419-12425. 

By contrast, alkylamination of naphthazarin (7) in the presence of sodium dithionite followed by oxidation gives l,4-bis(alkylamino)-5,8-naphthoquinone (31).18,19 However, Kikuchi and co-workers20 obtained isomeric l,5-bis(alkylamino)-4,8-naphthoquinone (32) from the reaction of leuco naphthazarin (33) with alkylamine They also isolated 5-alkylamino-leuco-naphthazarin (34) as an intermediate, which is further aminated at the 1-position to give 32. Bloom and Dudek21 have studied the structure of leuco aminonaphthoquinones and their tautomeric equilibria in solution. They concluded that the reaction of leuco naphthazarin (33) or the leuco compound (35) derived from l,5-diamino-4,8-naphthoquinone (36) with methylamine gives mixtures of l,4-bis(methylamino)-31 (R = Me) and 1,5-bis(methylamino)naphthoquinones 32 (R = Me) after oxidation of leuco aminonaphthoquinones (Scheme 10). Some of the structures of leuco aminonaphthoquinones are shown in Scheme ll.20... 

In the case of the naphthoquinone methine-type near-IR dye 55, reduction with tin(II) chloride under acidic conditions gives the leuco dye 56, which has weak absorption maxima at 350-359nm in methanol. The leuco dye 56 can be isolated as a stable pale yellow compound. The oxidation behavior of 56 has been studied by adding benzoquinone as oxidant in methanol solution. Compound 56 immediately produced new absorption at 760 nm which is consistent with the absorption maximum of 55 (Scheme 19).30 The absorption spectra of the leuco, quinone, and metal complex forms are summarized in Table 3. 

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