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This paper describes an investigation of the alkane oxidation with hydrogen peroxide in acetonitrile catalyzed by iron(III) perchlorate (1), iron(III) chloride (2), iron(III) acetate (3) and a binuclear iron(III) complex with 1,4,7-triazacyclononane (4). The corresponding alkyl hydroperoxides are the main products. Nevertheless in the kinetic study of cyclohexane oxidation, the concentrations of oxygenates (cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol) were measured after reduction of the reaction solution with triphenylphosphine (which converts the cyclohexyl hydroperoxide to the cyclohexanol). Methane and ethane can be also oxidized with TONs up to 30 and 70, respectively. Chloride anions added to the oxidation solution with 1 activate the perchlorate iron derivative in acetonitrile, whereas the water as additive inactivates 2 in the H 2 O 2 decomposition process. Pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid (PCA) added to the reaction mixture decreases the oxidation rate if 1 or 2 are used as catalysts, whereas compounds 3 and 4 are active as catalysts only in the presence of small amount of PCA. The investigation of kinetics and selectivities of the oxidations demonstrated that the mechanisms of the reactions are different. Thus, in the oxidations catalyzed by the 1, 3 PCA and 4 PCA systems the main oxidizing species is hydroxyl radical, and the oxidation in the presence of 2 as a catalyst has been assumed to proceed (partially) with the formation of ferryl ion, (Fe IV O) 2 . In the oxidation catalyzed by the 4 PCA system (TONs attain 240) hydroxyl radicals were generated in the rate-determining step of monomolecular decomposition of the iron diperoxo adduct containing one PCA molecule. A kinetic model of the process which satisfactorily describes the whole set of experimental data was suggested. The constants of supposed equilibriums and the rate constant for the decomposition of the iron diperoxo adduct with PCA were estimated.

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The heterometallic complex [Co(4)Fe(2)OSae(8)]·4DMF·H(2)O (1) was synthesized by one-pot reaction of cobalt powder with iron chloride in a dimethylformamide solution of salicylidene-2-ethanolamine (H(2)Sae) and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, magnetic measurements, high frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (HF-EPR), and Mössbauer spectroscopies. The exchange coupling in the Fe(III)-Fe(III) pair is of antiferromagnetic behavior with J/hc = -190 cm(-1). The HF-EPR spectra reveal an unusual pattern with a hardly detectable triplet signal of the Fe(III) dimer. The magnitude of D (ca. 13.9 cm(-1)) was found to be much larger than in related dimers. The catalytic investigations disclosed an outstanding activity of 1 toward oxidation of cycloalkanes with hydrogen peroxide, under mild conditions. The most efficient system showed a turnover number (TON) of 3.57 × 10(3) with the concomitant overall yield of 26% for cyclohexane, and 2.28 × 10(3)/46%, respectively, for cyclooctane. A remarkable turnover frequency (TOF) of 1.12 × 10(4) h(-1) (the highest initial rate W(0) = 3.5 × 10(-4) M s(-1)) was achieved in oxidation of cyclohexane. Kinetic experiments and selectivity parameters led to the conclusion that hydroxyl radicals are active (attacking C-H bonds) species. Kinetic and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) data allowed us to assume that the trinuclear heterometallic particle [Co(2)Fe(Sae)(4)](+), originated from 1 in solution, could be responsible for efficient generation of hydroxyl radicals from hydrogen peroxide.

Triosmium dodecacarbonyl catalyzes a very efficient oxidation of alkanes by H(2)O(2) in MeCN to afford alkyl hydroperoxides (primary products) as well as alcohols and ketones (aldehydes) at 60 degrees C if pyridine is added in a low concentration. Turnover numbers attain 60,000, and turnover frequencies are up to 24,000 h(-1).