Oxidations of phenols and aromatic amines

As noted in the introduction, the oxidations of phenols and aromatic amines by peroxodisulphate proceed via ionic rather than free-radical mechanisms. 

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Oxidation of phenols and aromatic amines using HRP is generally of little synthetic value, as oligomers and polymers are the main products (5, 260). Under certain conditions oxidative coupling of phenols or naphthols to give biaryls can be achieved, but with low selectivity (262). In contrast, HRP can catalyze a number of useful oxidative N-and 0-deaIkyIation reactions that are relatively difficult to carry out synthetically. This area has been described in detail by Meunier (263). A method for the preparation of optically active hydroperoxides using HRP C has been developed (264). Optically pure (S)-hydroperoxides... 

The nitrosodisulfonate salts, particularly the dipotassium salt called Fremy s salt, are useful reagents for the selective oxidation of phenols and aromatic amines to quinones (the Teuber reaction). - Dipotassium nitrosodisulfonate has been prepared by the oxidation of a hydroxylaminedisulfonate salt with potassium permanganate, " with lead dioxide, or by electrolysis. This salt is also available commercially. The present procedure illustrates the electrolytic oxidation to form an alkaline aqueous solution of the relatively soluble disodium nitrosodisulfonate. This procedure avoids a preliminary filtration which is required to remove manganese dioxide formed when potassium permanganate is used as the oxidant. " ... 

Oxidation of Phenols and Aromatic Amines to Quinones 1/0,6/ O-Dihydro-elimination... 

Job D, Dunford HB (1976) Substituent effect on the oxidation of phenols and aromatic amines by horseradish peroxidase Compound I. Eur J Biochem 66 607-614... 

Clays and oxides have the ability to promote certain redox reactions such as the oxidation of phenols and aromatic amines. These are surface reactions, involving an adsorption step and electron transfer step, unlike many of the chemical reactions... 

The predictive importance of the Hammett relationship is impressive. It applies not only to hydrolysis reactions but also to substitution and oxidation reactions of aromatic compounds and even to enzyme-catalyzed reactions like the oxidation of phenols and aromatic amines by peroxidase (Job and Dunford, 1976). According to Exner (1972), data available in 1953 allowed prediction of 42,000 rate or equilibrium constants, of which only 3180 had been measured at the time. 

In recent years, numerous applications of such peroxidase-catalyzed oxidative coupling of phenols and aromatic amines have been reported (Table 7). These peroxidase-catalyzed biotransformations lead to modified natural products with high biological activities [110-118]. Several examples have also been described for the oxidative coupling of phenols with peroxidases and other oxidative enzymes from a variety of fungal and plant sources as whole cell systems... 

Finally, mention must be made of possible conjugation reactions in which a covalent bond is formed between a contaminant molecule and a second contami nant molecule or soil organic matter. Oxidative coupling reactions of phenolics and aromatic amines are catalyzed by extracellular enzymes, clays, and oxides (Wang et al., 1986 Liu et al., 1987 Fluang, 1990). The bioavailability of the synthetic organic within the product is reduced or possibly eliminated (Dec et al., 1990 Allard et al., 1994). 

Oxidation of phenols, dyes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [48,49], decolorization of Kraft bleaching effluents, binding of phenols and aromatic amines with humus [47] Transformation of phenols, aromatic amines, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and other aromatic compounds, decolorization of Kraft bleaching effluents, treatment of dioxins, pyrene [86-89,114] Improved sludge dewatering [59]... 

Pyridone, 4-pyridone, and 3-pyridinol undergo the Elbs peroxydisulfate oxidation, a reaction characteristic of phenols and aromatic amines. A bimolecular ionic reaction in which the 2-pyridyloxy ion attacks the peroxy-bond of the persulfate ion with displacement of sulfate ion to give 2-pyridone-5-sulfate is consistent with the observations. ... 

From the material cited above, the negative significance of the fact that antioxidants not only terminate chains, but also take part in the initiation of oxidation is clear. Moreover, an important role is played by the formation of hydroperoxides in the reaction of peroxide radicals RO2 with antioxidants, the molecules of which contain weakly bonded hydrogen. Such antioxidants include widely used derivatives of phenols and aromatic amines. 

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) (EC 1.11.1.7) catalyses the covalent coupling of a number of phenols and aromatic amines using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as an oxidant this process has been successfully used for the removal of toxic aromatic pollutants from industrial wastewaters [146-148]. Reactions were not feasible for the production of polyphenols because most phenols are insoluble in water, and the phenolic dimers and trimers formed are insoluble in water and immediately fall out... 

Since the beginning of enzyme catalysis in microemulsions in the late 1970s, several biocatalytic transformations of various hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates have been demonstrated. Examples include reverse hydrolytic reactions such as peptide synthesis [44], synthesis of esters through esterification and transesterification reactions [42,45-48], resolution of racemic amino acids [49], oxidation and reduction of steroids and terpenes [50,51], electron-transfer reactions, [52], production of hydrogen [53], and synthesis of phenolic and aromatic amine polymers [54]. Isolated enzymes including various hydrolytic enzymes (proteases, lipases, esterases, glucosidases), oxidoreductases, as well as multienzyme systems [52], were anployed. 

The autoxidation of aldehydes, and of other organic compounds, may be lessened considerably by very careful purification—removal of existing peroxides, trace metal ions, etc.—but much more readily and effectively by the addition of suitable radical inhibitors, referred to in this context as anti-oxidants. The best of these are phenols and aromatic amines which have a readily abstractable H atom, the resultant radical is of relatively low reactivity, being able to act as a good chain terminator (by reaction with another radical) but only as a poor initiator (by reaction with a new substrate molecule). 

There are several chemical compounds found in the waste waters of a wide variety of industries that must be removed because of the danger they represent to human health. Among the major classes of contaminants, several aromatic molecules, including phenols and aromatic amines, have been reported. Enzymatic treatment has been proposed by many researchers as an alternative to conventional methods. In this respect, PX has the ability to coprecipitate certain difficult-to-remove contaminants by inducing the formation of mixed polymers that behave similarly to the polymeric products of easily removable contaminants. Thus, several types of PX, including HRP C, LiP, and a number of other PXs from different sources, have been used for treatment of aqueous aromatic contaminants and decolorization of dyes. Thus, LiP was shown to mineralize a variety of recalcitrant aromatic compounds and to oxidize a number of polycyclic aromatic and phenolic compounds. Furthermore, MnP and a microbial PX from Coprinus macrorhizus have also been observed to catalyze the oxidation of several monoaromatic phenols and aromatic dyes (Hamid and Khalil-ur-Rehman 2009). 

Of these reactions, the reaction of the peroxyl radical with phosphite is the slowest. The rate constant of this reaction ranges from 102 to 103 L mol 1 s 1 which is two to three orders of magnitude lower than the rate constant of similar reactions with phenols and aromatic amines. Namely, this reaction limits chain propagation in the oxidation of phosphites. Therefore, the chain oxidation of trialkyl phosphites involves chain propagation reactions with the participation of both peroxyl and phosphoranylperoxyl radicals ... 

A combined addition of a chain-breaking inhibitor and a hydroperoxide-breaking substance is widely used to induce a more efficient inhibition of oxidative processes in polyalkenes, rubbers, lubricants, and other materials [3 8]. Kennerly and Patterson [12] were the first to study the combined action of a mixture, phenol (aromatic amine) + zinc dithiophosphate, on the oxidation of mineral oil. Various phenols and aromatic amines can well serve as peroxyl radical scavengers (see Chapter 15), while arylphosphites, thiopropionic ethers, dialkylthio-propionates, zinc and nickel thiophosphates, and other compounds are used to break down hydroperoxide (see Chapter 17). Efficient inhibitory blends are usually prepared empirically, by choosing such blend compositions that induce maximal inhibitory periods [13],... 

The synergistic action of a phenol and aromatic amine mixture on hydrocarbon oxidation was found by Karpukhina et al. [16]. A synergistic effect of binary mixtures of some phenols and aromatic amines in oxidizing hydrocarbon is related to the interaction of inhibitors and their radicals [16-26]. In the case of a combined addition of phenyl-A-2-naphthylamine and 2,6-bis(l,l-dimethylethyl)phenol to oxidizing ethylbenzene (v, = const, 343 K), the consumption of amine begins only after the phenol has been exhausted [16], in spite of the fact that peroxyl radicals interact with amine more rapidly than with phenol (7c7 (amine) = 1.3 x 105 and /c7 (phenol) = 1.3 x 104 L mol 1 s respectively 333 K). This phenomenon can be explained in terms of the fast equilibrium reaction [27-30] ... 

Reduction of quinones, quinonimines, nitroaromatics, azoaromatics, and oxidized aromatic heterocycles Oxidation of phenols and amines... 

Peroxidases have been used very frequently during the last ten years as biocatalysts in asymmetric synthesis. The transformation of a broad spectrum of substrates by these enzymes leads to valuable compounds for the asymmetric synthesis of natural products and biologically active molecules. Peroxidases catalyze regioselective hydroxylation of phenols and halogenation of olefins. Furthermore, they catalyze the epoxidation of olefins and the sulfoxidation of alkyl aryl sulfides in high enantioselectivities, as well as the asymmetric reduction of racemic hydroperoxides. The less selective oxidative coupHng of various phenols and aromatic amines by peroxidases provides a convenient access to dimeric, oligomeric and polymeric products for industrial applications. 

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