Catalytic Action of Iron and Manganese Ions in the Photochemically-Induced Oxidation of D-Fructose with Atmospheric Oxygen

Article abstract of DOI:10.1246/bcsj.59.229

D-fructose is susceptible to photochemically-induced oxidation by atmospheric oxygen in the presence of a catalytic amount of iron or manganese cations in a neutral to weakly basic pH range.Metal hydroxide does not precipitate from a solution in this pH range because of the high sequestering ability of D-fructose.Upon irradiation of Pyrex-filtered light, D-fructose degraded into D-erythrose and other fragments.This reaction is shown to proceed by coupling with an oxidation-reduction cycle involving a metal cation, i.e., the photooxidation of D-fructose by M(III) and the subsequent reoxidation of the resultant M(II) by atmospheric oxygen.