Haruo Meguri

Selenium-catalysed debromination of vic-dibromides to alkenes with cysteine or glutathione

Sodium selenite catalyses, under mild conditions, the reductive debromination of vic-dibromides [e.g., meso- or (±)-1,2-dibromo-1,2-diphenylethane, trans-10,11-dibromodibenzosuberone, 2,3-dibromo-1,3-Biphenyl-1-propanone, α,β-dibromobenzenepropanoic acid, and cholesterol dibromide] to alkenes in the presence of the thiols cysteine or glutathione.

The repair of thymine and thymidine bromohydrins, models of damaged nucleic acids, by a copper(II) and ascorbic acid system

Bromohydrins (1), (3), (4), and (5), damaged products of thymine derivatives, were repaired smoothly to regenerate the original thymine derivatives when exposed to ascorbic acid in the presence of a catalytic amount of Cu2+ in water at room temperature.