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Oxidation of alcohols by hydrogen peroxide, catalyzed by methyltrioxorhenium (MTO): A hydride abstraction

Journal Article · · Inorganic Chemistry
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ic9806784· OSTI ID:316226

Primary and secondary alcohols are oxidized using hydrogen peroxide as an oxygen donor and methyltrioxorhenium (MTO) as a catalyst. The methylrhenium di-peroxide, CH{sub 3}Re(O)({eta}{sub 2}-O{sub 2}){sub 2}(H{sub 2}O), was the dominant and reactive form of the catalyst. Representative rate constants k/L/mol s are 1.02 {times} 10{sup {minus}4} for 4-Me-{alpha}-methylbenzyl alcohol and 4.9 {times} 10{sup {minus}5} for 4-Cl-{alpha}-methylbenzyl alcohol. There was a kinetic isotope effect of 3.2 for the {alpha} C-H bond. When sec-phenethyl alcohol was labeled with {sup 18}O, 80% of the oxygen was retained in the ketone. Tests for the possible intervention of a free radical intermediate were carried out; the evidence was entirely negative. A mechanism featuring hydride abstraction is proposed, the first time for the H{sub 2}O{sub 2}/MTO system. Also, a cocatalytic set of reaction conditions has been developed on the synthetic scale, using bromide and MTO as cocatalysts, which cuts the reaction time from hours to minutes.

OSTI ID:
316226
Journal Information:
Inorganic Chemistry, Journal Name: Inorganic Chemistry Journal Issue: 26 Vol. 37; ISSN 0020-1669; ISSN INOCAJ
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English