The role of the 12-carboxylic acid group in the spontaneous autoxidation of dihydroartemisinic acid

Three of the four steps in the slow spontaneous autoxidation of dihydroartemisinic acid to artemisinin (‘ene-type’ reaction of molecular oxygen with the Δ4,5 double bond, Hock cleavage of the resulting tertiary allylic hydroperoxide, oxygenation of the enol product from Hock cleavage and cyclization of the resulting vicinal hydroperoxyl-aldehyde to the 1,2,4-trioxane system of artemisinin) are shown to be assisted by the proximity of the 12-carboxylic acid functional group in dihydroartemisinic acid to the functional groups participating in these reactions.