Kinetics and mechanism of the ruthenium(III) catalysed oxidation of reducing sugars by chloramine-T in alkaline medium

The kinetics of the ruthenium(III) catalysed oxidation of reducing sugars, viz. arabinose, xylose, galactose, glucose, fructose, lactose and maltose by chloramine-T have been studied in alkaline medium. The reactions exhibit a first order rate dependence with respect to: [substrate], [chloramine-T] and [OH−]. The rate is proportional to {k′ + k″[RuIII]}, where k′ and k″ are rate constants for uncatalysed and catalysed path respectively. A suitable mechanism, consistent with the kinetic data, is proposed and discussed.