Ruthenium tetroxide reaction with solvents

The physical properties, preparation and reactions of ruthenium tetroxide have been reviewed by Lee and van den Engh, Rylander," Haines and Hetuy and Lange. A more vigorous oxidant than osmium tetroxide, its reaction with double bonds produces only cleavage products. " Under neutral conditions aldehydes are formed from unsaturated secondary carbons while carboxylic acids are obtained under alkaline or acidic conditions. For example, Shalon and Elliott" found that ruthenium tetroxide reacted with compound (11) to give the corresponding aldehyde under neutral conditions, but that a carboxylic acid was formed in acidic or alkaline solvents (equation 23). 

The sequence has been applied to the synthesis of 1,4-cyclohexanedione from hydroquinone 10), using W-7 Raney nickel as prepared by Billica and Adkins 6), except that the catalyst was stored under water. The use of water as solvent permitted, after hltration of the catalyst, direct oxidation of the reaction mixture with ruthenium trichloride and sodium hypochlorite via ruthenium tetroxide 78). Hydroquinone can be reduced to the diol over /o Rh-on-C at ambient conditions quantitatively (20). 

In another procedure, oxidation is carried out in the presence of chloride ions and ruthenium dioxide [31]. Chlorine is generated at the anode and this oxidises ruthenium to the tetroxide level. The reaction medium is aqueous sodium chloride with an inert solvent for the alkanol. Ruthenium tetroxide dissolves in the organic layer and effects oxidation of the alkanol. An undivided cell is used so that the chlorine generated at the anode reacts with hydroxide generated at the cathode to form hypochlorite. Thus this electrochemical process is equivalent to the oxidation of alkanols by ruthenium dioxide and a stoichiometric amount of sodium hypochlorite. Secondary alcohols are oxidised to ketones in excellent yields. 1,4- and 1,5-Diols with at least one primary alcohol function, are oxidised to lactones while... 

Cyclic sulfites (68) also are opened by nucleophiles, although they are less reactive than cyclic sulfates and require higher reaction temperatures for the opening reaction. Cyclic sulfite 77, in which the hydroxamic ester is too labile to withstand ruthenium tetroxide oxidation of the sulfite, is opened to 78 in 76% yield by reaction with lithium azide in hot DMF [82], Cyclic sulfite 79 is opened with nucleophiles such as azide ion [83] or bromide ion [84], by using elevated temperatures in polar aprotic solvents. Structures such as 80 generally are not isolated but as in the case of 80 are carried on (when X = N3) to amino alcohols [83] or (when X = Br) to maleates [84] by reduction. Yields are good and for compounds unaffected by the harsher conditions needed to achieve the displacement reaction, use of the cyclic sulfite eliminates the added step of oxidation to the sulfate. 

Much of the early work with ruthenium tetroxide also made use of stoichiometric amounts of a solution of the reagent in an inert solvent, such as carbon tetrachloride. Reactions were carried out at room temperature. The general acceptance of the reagent as a powerful wide-ranging oxidant, coupled with the expense of ruthenium me, however, later provided the incentive to develop alternative catalytic... 

Side reactions can be avoided with a selective oxidizing agent such as ruthenium tetroxide (453) which is soluble in many solvents. It can be used in catalytic quantities in combination with another oxidizing agent, eg, peracetic acid (454). Ruthenium dioxide in combination with periodate can be used in water or in organic solvents in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst (424,425). 

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