Oxidation of 5-aminouracil with molecular oxygen in aqueous solution in the presence of copper(II) chloride

5-Aminouracil was found to form a six-coordinate copper(II) complex in aqueous solution and undergo oxidation to 5,5,6-trihydroxypyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione in the presence of molecular oxygen. A scheme was proposed for the fixation and activation of molecular oxygen on six-coordinate copper(II) complex with 5-aminouracil. The effect of the ligand structure on the rate of its oxidation with molecular oxygen in aqueous solution in the presence of copper(II) ions was shown.