Molecules 2010, 15, 1466-1472; doi:10.3390/molecules15031466 OPEN ACCESS molecules ISSN 1420-3049 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules Article Novel Oxidative Ring Opening Reaction of 1H-Isotelluro- chromenes to Bis(o-formylstyryl) Ditellurides Haruki Sashida 1,*, Hirohito Satoh 1, Kazuo Ohyanagi 2 and Mamoru Kaname 1 1 Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokuriku University, Kanagawa-machi, Kanazawa 920-1181, Japan; E-Mail:
[email protected] (M.K.) 2 Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan; E-Mail:
[email protected] (K.O.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +81-76-229-6211; Fax: +81-76-229-2781. Received: 5 January 2010; in revised form: 2 February 2010 / Accepted: 5 March 2010 / Published: 9 March 2010 Abstract: The oxidation of 1-unsubstituted or 1-phenyl-1H-isotellurochromenes with m-chloroperbenzoic acid (mCPBA) in CHCl3 resulted in a ring opening reaction to produce as the sole products the corresponding o-formyl or benzoyl distyryl ditellurides, which were also produced by the hydrolysis of the 2-benzotelluropyrylium salts readily prepared from the parent isotellurochromene. Keywords: isotellurochromene; mCPBA oxidation; 2-benzotelluropyrylium salt; distyryl ditelluride 1. Introduction The preparation and investigation of the reactions of new tellurium-containing heterocycles have lately attracted increasing interest in the fields of both heterocyclic [1–3] and organotellurium chemistry [4–8]. We have been studying the syntheses and reactions of the novel tellurium- or selenium-containing heterocyclic compounds over the past twenty years.