Some attempts to employ the singlet oxygen generated from molybdate-catalyzed decomposition of hydrogen peroxide are presented. Reduction of ascaridole with diimide is also described, along with the preliminary results of the cleavage study using Fe-cysteinate as a simple model for Fe-S type redox species. There were strong indica-tions that S-alkylation occurred as observed in similar cleavage of the potent antimalarial qinghaosu.
Reaction of a 1,2, 4, 5-tetraoxane with cysteinate-iron in the presence of excess methyl cysteinate led to formation of sulfuralkylated methyl cysteinate in 33 % yield, illustrating a possible mechanism for tetraoxanes' antimalarial action.
The rate of atmospheric pressure hydrogenolysis of terminal epoxides over palladium-charcoal to the corresponding methyl alcohols could be remarkably accelerated by introduction of CoC12 or NiSO4.
A [1,2]dioxolane-type peroxide was synthesized and tested for its cleavage behavior with Fe2+-cysteinate as a simple model of biological redox species. No S-alkylation product was observed.
