Oxidation organophosphorus compounds

Polyphosphonates are well-known flame-retardant materials [110] and are generally prepared by melt [111,112], interfacial [113-115] and solution polycondensation methods [116]. A typical example of synthesis is the polycondensation of bifunctional organophosphorus compounds, such as dichlorophenylphosphine oxide, with bisphenols [117,118]. 

Indeed, these reactions proceed at 25 °C in ethanol-aqueous media in the absence of transition metal catalysts. The ease with which P-H bonds in primary phosphines can be converted to P-C bonds, as shown in Schemes 9 and 10, demonstrates the importance of primary phosphines in the design and development of novel organophosphorus compounds. In particular, functionalized hydroxymethyl phosphines have become ubiquitous in the development of water-soluble transition metal/organometallic compounds for potential applications in biphasic aqueous-organic catalysis and also in transition metal based pharmaceutical development [53-62]. Extensive investigations on the coordination chemistry of hydroxymethyl phosphines have demonstrated unique stereospe-cific and kinetic propensity of this class of water-soluble phosphines [53-62]. Representative examples outlined in Fig. 4, depict bidentate and multidentate coordination modes and the unique kinetic propensity to stabilize various oxidation states of metal centers, such as Re( V), Rh(III), Pt(II) and Au(I), in aqueous media [53 - 62]. Therefore, the importance of functionalized primary phosphines in the development of multidentate water-soluble phosphines cannot be overemphasized. 

Anderson, R. L. et al., Clin. Chim. Acta, 1982, 121, 111-116 The standard method for assaying organophosphorus compounds can be modified to use sulfuric acid to digest the samples and hydrogen peroxide as oxidant in place of perchloric acid. 

Quite often, we find nonsystematic nomenclature used in the literature dealing with organophosphorus compounds. This results in unnecessary confusion, as systematic nomenclature is easy to use and understand. Nomenclature based on the oxidation state of the phosphorus center eliminates the confusion and helps to promote understanding of the chemistry as well as to facilitate communication. Table 1.1 shows structures for tricoordinate and tetracoordinate phosphorus compounds related to oxyacids with their English general names. Also noted are the names for simple esters of the parent acids. They are organized based on oxidation state and the number of bonds of the carbon-phosphorus type. 

Decker, S.R Klabunde, J.S. Khaleel, A. Klabunde, K.J. Catalyzed destructive adsorption of environmental toxins with nanocrystalline metal oxides. Fluoro-, chloro-, bromocarbons, sulfur, and organophosphorus compounds. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36, 762-768. 

Thus, although organophosphorus compounds like fenitrothion may be metabolized in aquatic organisms through oxidative desulfuration, side chain oxidation, hydrolytic cleavage of P-O-arryl linkage, as well as O-demethylation, the turn-over rate apparently is much lower than in mammals. 

Our radiolysis studies also indicate that phosphonates react quite slowly with the superoxide anion radical. Although our studies do not support the formation of radical cations as an initial oxidation step, we cannot rule out the possibility that radical cations are not involved in the oxidation of the C—P bond, as previously proposed [44], It is also possible that more electron-rich organphosphorus compounds or organophosphorus compounds in the adsorbed state may exhibit different redox and hydroxyl radical chemistries than what is observed under pulse radiolysis employing homogeneous conditions. 

The onset of symptoms depends on the particular organophosphorus compound, but is usually relatively rapid, occurring within a few minutes to a few hours, and the symptoms may last for several days. This depends on the metabolism and distribution of the particular compound and factors such as lipophilicity. Some of the organophosphorus insecticides such as malathion, for example (chap. 5, Fig. 12), are metabolized in mammals mainly by hydrolysis to polar metabolites, which are readily excreted, whereas in the insect, oxidative metabolism occurs, which produces the cholinesterase inhibitor. Metabolic differences between the target and nontarget species are exploited to maximize the selective toxicity. Consequently, malathion has a low toxicity to mammals such as the rat in which the LD50 is about 10 g kg-1. 

Organophosphorus compounds rarely have more than one P atom in the molecule, giving rise to a doublet for any C atom within three bonds (assuming the proton-carbon coupling has been removed) and so these compounds show clearly the connectivity of carbon atoms close to the P atom. The size of the coupling constant is dependent on the number of bonds and the phosphorus oxidation state, such that Vis the largest at about 45-150 Hz, while V and V are of the order of 10-15 Hz. 

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