Corrin mediated degradation of organic nitrogen compounds

Details Corrin mediated degradation of organic nitrogen compounds Corrin mediated degradation of organic nitrogen compounds

1991-11-05

1995-11-28

McMahon, Timothy M.

Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting, deodorizing, preser

Physical type apparatus

Apparatus for treating solid article or material with fluid...

210757, 210758, 422 28, 422 32, A61L 220

Patent

active

054705452

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to methods for the degradation of organic nitrogen-containing compounds, particularly nitro-compounds, using corrins to catalyse or accelerate the degradation.
Organic nitrogen compounds present an environmental pollution problem. They may enter soil and aquatic environments by many routes and may threaten the drinking water supply. Such compounds include organic nitro- and nitroso-compounds, nitriles, thiocyanates and isothiocyantes among others. Nitro- and nitroso-compounds are for example believed to be carcinogenic.
Such compounds are used or generated in large quantities in some chemical industries, eg explosive and dye making, and can hence be contained in industrial effluent. Some organic nitro compounds are used as herbicides, eg "Dinoseb" and "Trifluralin", or insecticides eg "Parathion" (Trade Marks), whose structures are shown in FIG. 1. Such compounds are hence introduced directly into the environment, or may enter the environment indirectly through grazing animals which have ingested the compounds. Many such herbicides suffer from the problem of "persistence", ie they are not easily broken down by nature into less harmful compounds.
Currently used methods for the disposal or destruction of such compounds, eg incineration and landfill or offshore dumpings are not ideal and can lead to further pollution. There is therefore a need for improved methods of disposal of the compounds, especially via their degradation into less harmful compounds or into compounds which are more readily broken down by nature, eg through oxidation, photodecomposition, hydrolysis or biologically.
It is known (eg Mansuy and Fontecove (1982), Miwa and Walsh (1988), Lindeke and Paulsen-Sorman (1988)) that certain iron-centred porphyrins are capable of catalysing oxidation-reduction reactions of organic nitrogen compounds such as amines, nitro and nitroso compounds, oximes and cyano compounds. It is also known (eg Stotter (1977)) that such porphyrins can catalyse reductive dehalogenation of organic halides.
Porphyrins are large cyclic amines containing the ring system (1): ##STR1## in which two of the four central nitrogen atoms may be bonded to hydrogen atoms, or else all four may be co-ordinated to a central metal atom or ion such as iron in the references mentioned.
The porphyrin ring in these complexes normally carries a number of peripheral substituents, and it is know that relatively small variation of these peripheral substituents can have a drastic effect on the ability of the porphyrin-metal complexes to dehalogenate organic halides (see for example discussion in GB 88 10944). For example iron III haemato-porphyrin dehalogenates 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane very effectively whilst iron III copropophyrin has no catalytic effect, there being relatively little difference between the substitution patterns. Little can therefore be said for certain about the effect of changes in the peripheral structure of such complexes on their catalytic ability.
Corrins are large cyclic amines having a 19-membered peripheral ring system which can exist in a number of isomeric forms in which the position of double and single bonds in the peripheral ring can vary, as will be seen in the discussion of structures 2A-2H below. The general abbreviation (2): ##STR2## is used herein for all isomeric forms of the corrin ring system.
In a similar fashion to porphyrin systems, one or more of the central nitrogen atoms in a corrin may be bonded to one or more hydrogen atoms, or all 4 may be co-ordinated to a central metal atom, which may itself be additionally complexed with one or more other ligands, for example to form the metal-co-ordinated centre: ##STR3## where M is a metal atom or ion, and where L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 if present represent the same or different ligands.
Corrins containing metal centres are known, for example the cobalt centred corrins found in the vitamin B12 series of compounds, eg vitamin B12 itself, ie cyanocobalamin, also known simply as cobalamin (2A): ##STR4##
Closely related to cyanocobalamin (

REFERENCES:
patent: 3252892 (1966-05-01), Gleim
patent: 4128621 (1978-12-01), Homeier
patent: 4256670 (1981-03-01), Homeier
patent: 4372893 (1983-02-01), Eckert
patent: 5004551 (1991-04-01), Sublette
patent: 5032291 (1991-07-01), Sublette
patent: 5120453 (1992-06-01), Frame et al.
Mansuy et al., "Biochem Biophys. Res. Comm.", vol. 104, No. 4, Feb. 26, 1 pp. 1651-1657.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Corrin mediated degradation of organic nitrogen compounds does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Corrin mediated degradation of organic nitrogen compounds, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Corrin mediated degradation of organic nitrogen compounds will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2011633