Extradiol oxygenation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol with O2by iron chlorides in tetrahydrofuran–water as a model reaction for catechol-2,3-dioxygenases
Abstract
Selective extradiol oxygenation of 3,5-di-tert-bytylcatechol 1 with O2catalysed by Fe2+ is achieved in THF in the presence of water; the different selectivity obtained by FeCl2 and FeCl3 in THF–H2O and THF–pyridine supports the explanation of the intra- and extra-diol oxygenations by Fe3+ and Fe2+, respectively, as proposed in the enyzmatic systems.