Oxidation of phenylphosphonites with aqueous hydrogen peroxide

An effective route to the oxidation of organic derivatives of trivalent phosphorus with an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide was considered. Phenylphosphonites, including those having a hydrolytically unstable phosphorus-nitrogen bond were involved into the oxidation. The identification of oxidation products, the phenylphosphonates, was carried out using the method of ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry with Fourier transform combined with electrospray ionization, and by 31P and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The influence of an effective antioxidant of natural origin, quercetin, on the oxidation was demonstrated.