Dioxiranes: From oxidative transformations to chemiluminescence

Experimental material on chemistry of a new class of highly effective oxidation reagents, dioxiranes, has been summarised. The basic methods of generation of dioxiranes and reactions in which dioxiranes are proposed as intermediates are described. The full notion about one of the main properties of dioxiranes, i.e., the ability to oxidise rapidly and selectively under mild conditions various classes of organic compounds (alkanes, alkenes, compounds containing heteroatoms, organometallic substrates etc.) is given. Various aspects and mechanisms of these reactions are regarded. Considerable attention is focussed on the analysis of mechanisms of decomposition of dioxiranes in the absence of oxidisable substrates. One of the most attractive properties of dioxirane chemistry, chemiluminescence, is considered (the mechanisms of the generation of excited products both under thermal and catalytic decomposition and under photochemical activation are discussed).