The behaviour of qinghaosu (artemisinin) in the presence of heme iron(II) and (III)

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0040-4039(95)02141-8

With hemin [chlorprotoporphyrin IX iron(III)] or hemin/cysteine in aqueous MeCN, oxygen loss from the peroxide bridge of qinghaosu takes place to give a precursor to desoxoqinghaosu, a known malaria-inactive metabolite, in low yield. Ring-opened forms of