SOS Author Spotlight: Vera Vil’, Oleg Bityukov and Alexander Terent’ev

New Science of Synthesis Review on Acyclic Geminal Bisperoxides

The scope of Science of Synthesis is continually being expanded by the addition of chapters covering methods for the synthesis of particular classes of compounds. In one such contribution published as part of the Knowledge Updates series, a group of researchers from the N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry RAS, Moscow have complied a review on the synthesis of geminal noncyclic bisperoxides. The chapter by Prof. Alexander Terent’ev, Dr. Vera Vil’ and Dr. Oleg Bityukov covers synthetic approaches to structures such as geminal bishydroperoxides, geminal bisperoxides, bis(1-hydroperoxyalkyl) peroxides, and 1-hydroperoxyalkyl 1-hydroxyalkyl peroxides.

The chemistry of organic peroxides has a history going back over 100 years, and is closely related to the production of antimalarial, anticancer, anthelmintic, antiviral, and antimicrobial compounds, fine organics and oxidizers, polymerization initiators and vulcanizing agents, and explosives. Despite this long history, their selective synthesis and the inaccessibility of both certain classes of peroxides as well as individual structures remains a fundamental problem. Classical approaches to the preparation of geminal bisperoxides are based on Lewis or Brønsted acid catalyzed peroxidation of carbonyl compounds and alkenes by hydrogen peroxide or hydroperoxides. The chapter also describes other, more specific approaches to the synthesis of compounds with geminal bisperoxide moieties.

Dr. Vera A. Vil’ was born in 1990 in Angarsk, Russia. She received her PhD in organic chemistry in 2017 under the supervision of Prof. A. O. Terent'ev (N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia). At present she is a Researcher at the same Institute. Her research interests are organic peroxide chemistry, oxidation processes, and medicinal chemistry.

Dr. Oleg V. Bityukov was born in 1993 in Saratov, Russia. He received his PhD in organic chemistry in 2020 under the supervision of Prof. A. O. Terent'ev (N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia). At present he is a Researcher at the same Institute. His research interests are free‐radical chemistry, oxidation processes, and electrochemistry.

Alexander O. Terent'ev obtained his PhD degree in 2000 and D.Sc. degree in 2009. At this time he is Professor at the D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Deputy Director and Head of the laboratory at the N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry RAS, and head of the laboratory at the All‐Russian Research Institute of Phytopathology. His interests are organic, medicinal, and agricultural chemistry, chemical technology.

Prof. Alexander Terent’ev is also the acting Volume Editor responsible for content relating to Volume 38 of Science of Synthesis on peroxide chemistry (read more here).