Heterolytic oxidation mechanism

Variable valence transition metal ions, such as Co VCo and Mn /Mn are able to catalyze hydrocarbon autoxidations by increasing the rate of chain initiation. Thus, redox reactions of the metal ions with alkyl hydroperoxides produce chain initiating alkoxy and alkylperoxy radicals (Fig. 6). Interestingly, aromatic percarboxylic acids, which are key intermediates in the oxidation of methylaromatics, were shown by Jones (ref. 10) to oxidize Mn and Co, to the corresponding p-oxodimer of Mn or Co , via a heterolytic mechanism (Fig. 6). 

The small Hammett p value of +0.16 observed for a series of related meta- and para-substituted mandelic acids indicates that there is a very small negative charge development on the benzyl carbon in the transition state of the rate-determining step of the pyridine catalysed oxidation of mandelic acid. The large positive AS value (+24 e.u./mol) found for the catalysed reaction led Banetjee and coworkers to conclude that the transition state (Figure 5) is product-like . This conclusion is consistent with the small f n/f D that is observed in this reaction164. The Pb—O bond is shown to rupture in a heterolytic fashion because Partch and Monthony185 have demonstrated that pyridine diverts the reaction from a homolytic to a heterolytic mechanism. 

Various transition metals have been used in redox processes. For example, tandem sequences of cyclization have been initiated from malonate enolates by electron-transfer-induced oxidation with ferricenium ion Cp2pe+ (51) followed by cyclization and either radical or cationic termination (Scheme 41). ° Titanium, in the form of Cp2TiPh, has been used to initiate reductive radical cyclizations to give y- and 5-cyano esters in a 5- or 6-exo manner, respectively (Scheme 42). The Ti(III) reagent coordinates both to the C=0 and CN groups and cyclization proceeds irreversibly without formation of iminyl radical intermediates.The oxidation of benzylic and allylic alcohols in a two-phase system in the presence of r-butyl hydroperoxide, a copper catalyst, and a phase-transfer catalyst has been examined. The reactions were shown to proceed via a heterolytic mechanism however, the oxidations of related active methylene compounds (without the alcohol functionality) were determined to be free-radical processes. 

The kinetics of the catalytic oxidation of cyclopentene to glutaraldehyde by aqueous hydrogen peroxide and tungstic acid have been studied and a compatible mechanism was proposed, which proceeds via cyclopentene oxide and /3-hydroxycyclopentenyl hydroperoxide. " Monosubstituted heteropolytungstate-catalysed oxidation of alkenes by t-butyl hydroperoxide, iodosobenzene, and dioxygen have been studied a radical mechanism was proved for the reaction of alkenes with t-BuOOH and O2, but alkene epoxidation by iodosobenzene proceeds via oxidant coordination to the catalyst and has a heterolytic mechanism. ... 

As observed from reaction (6.19) and experimental data [41,120,121], ROOH satisfactorily replaces molecular oxygen and the reducer. When oxidized with hydroperoxides in the presence of iron porphyrin catalysts (cytochrome P-450 analogs), olefins mostly convert to allyl oxidation products, namely unsaturated alcohols and ketones, whereas the quantity of epoxides does not exceed 1% [122], According to current suggestions [121] such behavior of iron porphyrin catalysts is explained by olefin epoxidation with the cata-lyst-ROOH complex by the heterolytical mechanism according to the following equation ... 

The study of the substrateireagent ratio (Figure 7.6) on the synthesis rate of propylene oxide promoted determination of optimal molar ratio C3H6 H202 = 1 1. As combined with the propylene conversion level exceeding 90%, this indicates the stoichiometric type of interaction between them. This circumstance confirms substrate oxidation with hydrogen peroxide by the heterolytic mechanism. 

We have seen in the first section how the concepts of electron and ligand transfer via 1-electron changes provides a basis for the understanding of homolytic oxidation mechanisms. Similarly, the concepts of substrate activation by coordination380 to metal complexes and by oxidative addition381 386 provide a basis for discussing heterolytic mechanisms. Examples of the former are the activation of hydroperoxides (Section III.B.2) and olefins (Section III.D) to nucleophilic attack by coordination to metal centers. 

Photochromic compounds functioning by an oxidation-reduction mechanism (electron transfer), especially a photoreduction mechanism, are known in inorganic materials such as silver halides, which are utilized in eyewear lenses. Although the number of organic photochromic compounds operating via electron transfer is fewer than those by isomerization, heterolytic (or homolytic) cleavage, and pericyclic reactions, several classes of compounds have been reported, such as thiazines,1 viologens,2 and polycyclic quinones.3... 

To explain the high activity of cerium dioxide for SOF oxidation, recall that SOF consists mainly of high molecular weight paraffins. There is consensus that the important step in alkane oxidation is cleavage of a C-H bond. On oxide catalysts, most authors favor a heterolytic mechanism, with, for example, methane splitting to yield a proton and a methyl anion. An important observation in support of this comes from a comparison of methane and fluoromethane. The fluorine atom would be expected to stabilize a transition state of the form FH2C and one finds that fluoromethane is an order of... 

---