Ruthenium tetroxide oxidation sensitivity

The diols (97) from asymmetric dil droxylation are easily converted to cyclic sii e esters (98) and thence to cyclic sulfate esters (99).This two-step process, reaction of the diol (97) with thionyl chloride followed by ruthenium tetroxide catalyzed oxidation, can be done in one pot if desired and transforms the relatively unreactive diol into an epoxide mimic, ue. the 1,2-cyclic sulfate (99), which is an excellent electrophile. A survey of reactions shows that cyclic sulfates can be opened by hydride, azide, fluoride, thiocyanide, carboxylate and nitrate ions. Benzylmagnesium chloride and thie anion of dimethyl malonate can also be used to open the cyclic sulfates. Opening by a nucleophile leads to formation of an intermediate 3-sidfate aiuon (100) which is easily hydrolyzed to a -hydroxy compound (101). Conditions for cat ytic acid hydrolysis have been developed that allow for selective removal of the sulfate ester in the presence of other acid sensitive groups such as acetals, ketals and silyl ethers. 

Ruthenium tetroxide was shown to oxidize PCBs in water [20], Water-soluble ruthenium complexes, such as [Ru(H20)2(DMS0)4]2+, are effective catalysts for the KHSO5 deep oxidation of a number of chloroaliphatics, of a-chlorinated al-kenes, polychlorobenzenes, and polychlorophenols. When the reactions are carried out in water in the presence of surfactant agents, degradation of the substrates is definitely faster. Aromatic substrates are mainly converted into HC1 and C02, polychlorophenols being more sensitive to oxidation than substituted benzenes [21]. Replacement of the DMSO- solvated ruthenium by RuPcS results in a definite improvement of the reaction course with hydrogen peroxide, since dismutation of... 

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