Dioxygen Transfer from 4a-Hydroperoxyflavin Anion to Isomeric Aminophenolates

The dioxygen transfer reaction from $N^5$-ethyl-4a-hydroperoxy-3-methyllumiflavin anion (4a-FlEtOO-) has been extended to isomeric aminophenol systems (1a-4a). O-aminophenol (o-AP, 1a & 2a) and p-aminophenol(p-AP, 3a & 4a) were turned out to be good substrates, whereas m-aminophenol(m-AP, 5a) was not. This is due to the charge location which is not on the carbon bearing the amino group. o-AO's react with 4a-FlEtOO- to give isophenoxazine derivatives (6 & 7) and with p-AP's to produce p-benzoquinone derivatives (8 & 9). The partition coefficients $(k_2/k_3)$ of 1a & 2a were $4.84{\times}10^{-4}\;&\;1.66{\times}10^{-5}M$, respectively and those of methylated aminophenolates, 2a & 4a were 4-10 times greater than nonmethylated substrates, 1a & 3a.