598-01-6Relevant articles and documents
Molybdenum-catalyzed epoxidations of oct-1-ene and cyclohexene with organic hydroperoxides: Steric effects of the alkyl substituents of the hydroperoxide on the reaction rate
Lempers,Van Crey,Sheldon
, p. 542 - 546 (2007/10/03)
A kinetic study of the epoxidation of oct-1-ene and cyclohexene with alkyl hydroperoxides is reported. The alkyl hydroperoxides were obtained in a moderate to high purity from the corresponding alcohols by acid-catalyzed exchange with hydrogen peroxide. The reaction rates in pseudo first-order experiments of these olefins with various alkyl hydroperoxides strongly depend on the structure of the alkyl group of the alkyl hydroperoxide. When one of the methyl groups in tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP, 4a) is substituted by an alkyl group, R, the reaction rate decreases in the order Et > Pr > Bu > t BuCH2 > tBu. Substitution of two methyl groups of TBHP as in 1-ethyl-1-methylpropyl hydroperoxide (5a) and 1-ethyl-1-methylbutyl hydroperoxide (5b) showed a further decrease in reaction rate of epoxidation. When all three methyl groups are substituted by, for example, three ethyl groups as in 1,1-diethylpropyl hydroperoxide (6a) a decrease of approximately 99% in reaction rate is observed. Introduction of a ring system in the hydroperoxide such as in cyclohexyl hydroperoxide (3), 1-methyl-cyclohexyl hydroperoxide (2) and pinane hydroperoxide (1) also showed a dramatic decrease in reaction rate of epoxidation. An investigation of relative rates of epoxidation in competition experiments of cyclohexene and hex-1-ene with 1-tert-butylcyclohexene with different alkyl hydroperoxides also showed them to depend on the structure of the alkyl group of the alkyl hydroperoxide. These results are rationalized on the basis of a mechanism involving nucleophilic attack of the olefin on an alkylperoxomolybdenum(VI) intermediate. Bulky substituents at the α-position in the alkyl hydroperoxide can seriously impede the approach of the olefin to the O-O bond.
