Thiol oxidation by 1,2,3-oxadiazolinium ions, presumed carcinogens

3-Alkyl-1,2,3-oxadiazolinium ions 1 have been proposed as reactive intermediates in the activation of (2-hydroxyethyl)nitrosamines. The reaction of 3-methyl-1,2,3-oxadiazolinium tosylate (1a), 2-ethyl-1-methoxy-2-phenyldiazenium tetrafluoroborate (3), and 3-phenyl-1,2,3-oxadiazolinium triflate (1b) with thiols was investigated to determine the behavior of these compounds toward typical "cellular nucleophiles". Each of these substances oxidizes benzenethiol to diphenyl disulfide. The reaction in aqueous buffer at pH 7.4 is rapid. Reaction of 1b with benzenethiol gives, in addition to the disulfide, benzene, biphenyl, azobenzene, diphenyl sulfide, aniline, and glycolaldehyde. Similar products are obtained from 3. Phenyldiazene is postulated as an intermediate in this process, and its generation from phenyldiazoformate in the presence of benzenethiol gives similar products. Diazenes are presumed to arise by proton abstraction from the CH adjacent to N. The kinetics of reaction of 1a with N-acetylcysteine to give the corresponding disulfide show first order dependence on each reactant and base catalysis. The data from these model chemical experiments suggest that 1,2,3-oxadiazolinium ions could react with abundant thiols in cells to lead to either their detoxification or radical processes emanating from diazenes. The occurrence of thiol-oxadiazolinium ion redox transformations could modulate the alkylation chemistry of these substances as well.