Thermal intramolecular redox

When 4-nitro-7-phenylthiobenzofuroxan (195) was oxidized by m-chloroperbenzoic acid, an intramolecular redox reaction resulted in the formation of the benzofurazan sulfone (197).443 It has been shown that the sulfoxide (196) (and a number of analogous compounds) can be isolated, and that it is thermally converted into 197.444 This result is interesting in view of the reported failure to observe intramolecular oxygen transfer in a number of fused furoxans.35 0,445... 

The other simple peptide complex e.g. [Fe(Z-Cys-Ala-OMe)4]2- did not exhibit such a reversible redox couple under similar conditions. The Fe(lll) complexes of simple peptide thiolates or cysteine alkyl esters are found to be thermally quite unstable and decompose by oxidaticxi at the thiolate ligand by intramolecular electron transfer. Thus the macro-ring chelation of the Cys-Pro-Leu-Cys ligand appears to stabilize the Fe(in) state. The stability of the Fe(ni) form as indicated by the cyclic voltamnoogram measurements and by the visible spectra of the Fe(in) peptide complexes suggests that the peptide prevents thermal and hydrolytic decomposition of the Fe-S bond because of the hydrophobicity and steric bulk of the Pro and Leu residues (3,4). 

Different valence states are also a fairly widespread type of unit variability. By analogy with macromolecular complexes (Section II), it may be expected that homopolymerization and copolymerization of metal-containing monomers would prevent or retard redox processes involving participation of metal ions. Experimental data confirm the fact that a polymeric matrix stabilizes complexes of metals in low oxidation states (e.g., Pd" ). Moreover, the stability of the Cu+ state during polymerization (including thermal polymerization) of copper acrylate controls the use of this method for the preparation of coordination compounds of Cu". The polymeric framework plays a stabilizing role, whereas the metal ions that are localized on the surface layer are oxidized to Cu +. However, polymerization of monomers that contain metal ions in high oxidation states is often accompanied by their reduction Fe + ->Fe +, and Mo + ->Mo" (scheme 14). For example, polymerization of Cu " and Fe + acrylates may be accompanied by intramolecular chain termination. This may be attributed to the relatively low standard reduction potentials of these metal ions (7io(Cu + Cu+) = 0.15, o(Fe ->Fe ) = 0.77 V). 

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