Catalytic functionalization of methane

Homogeneous Functionalization of Methane

One of the remaining "grand challenges" in chemistry is the development of a next generation, less expensive, cleaner process that can allow the vast reserves of methane from natural gas to augment or replace oil as the source of fuels and chemicals. Homogeneous (gas/liquid) systems that convert methane to functionalized products with emphasis on reports after 1995 are reviewed. Gas/solid, bioinorganic, biological, and reaction systems that do not specifically involve methane functionalization are excluded. The various reports are grouped under the main element involved in the direct reactions with methane. Central to the review is classification of the various reports into 12 categories based on both practical considerations and the mechanisms of the elementary reactions with methane. Practical considerations are based on whether or not the system reported can directly or indirectly utilize O₂ as the only net coreactant based only on thermodynamic potentials. Mechanistic classifications are based on whether the elementary reactions with methane proceed by chain or nonchain reactions and with stoichiometric reagents or catalytic species. The nonchain reactions are further classified as CH activation (CHA) or CH oxidation (CHO). The bases for these various classifications are defined. In particular, CHA reactions are defined as elementary reactions with methane that result in a discrete methyl intermediate where the formal oxidation state (FOS) on the carbon remains unchanged at -IV relative to that in methane. In contrast, CHO reactions are defined as elementary reactions with methane where the carbon atom of the product is oxidized and has a FOS less negative than -IV. This review reveals that the bulk of the work in the field is relatively evenly distributed across most of the various areas classified. However, a few areas are only marginally examined, or not examined at all. This review also shows that, while significant scientific progress has been made, greater advances, particularly in developing systems that can utilize O₂, will be required to develop a practical process that can replace the current energy and capital intensive natural gas conversion process. We believe that this classification scheme will provide the reader with a rapid way to identify systems of interest while providing a deeper appreciation and understanding, both practical and fundamental, of the extensive literature on methane functionalization. The hope is that this could accelerate progress toward meeting this "grand challenge."

Complexes of cis-dioxomolybdenum(VI) and oxovanadium(IV) with a tridentate ONS donor ligand: synthesis, spectroscopic properties, X-ray crystal structure and catalytic activity

New cis-dioxomolybdenum(VI) and oxovanadium(IV) complexes of the Schiff base, derived from S-methyl dithiocarbazate and 2,3-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (H2dhsm), have been synthesized. The complexes of the type cis-[MoO2(dhsm)] (1a), cis-[MoO2(dhsm)(D)] (1b-1d) [D=neutral monodentate ligand; EtOH, pyridine (py) or imidazole (imz)], [VO(dhsm)(NN)] (2a, 2b) [NN=2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) or 1,10-phenanthroline (phen)] and [VO(dhsm)] (2c) have been isolated, characterized by (1)H NMR, IR, UV-Vis and EPR spectral studies and investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The X-ray crystal structure of cis-[MoO2(dhsm)(EtOH)] (1b) has been determined and shows that the complex has a distorted octahedral geometry in which the H2dhsm behaves as a dianionic ONS tridentate ligand coordinating via phenoxide oxygen, hydrazinic nitrogen and thiolate sulfur. The oxomolybdenum(IV) complex [MoO(dhsm)] (1e) has obtained from dioxomolybdenum(VI) complex (1b) by oxo abstraction with PPh3. The reactivity of the complexes toward catalytic oxidation of alcohols in the presence of H2O2 and t-BuOOH as co-oxidants under solvent free conditions is reported.

Oxidation of 2-propanol and cyclohexane by the reagent "hydrogen peroxide-vanadate anion-pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid": kinetics and mechanism

The vanadate anion in the presence of pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid (PCA [identical with] pcaH) efficiently catalyzes the oxidation of 2-propanol by hydrogen peroxide to give acetone. UV-vis spectroscopic monitoring of the reaction as well as the kinetics lead to the conclusion that the crucial step of the process is the monomolecular decomposition of a diperoxovanadium(V) complex containing the pca ligand to afford the peroxyl radical, HOO(.-) and a V(IV) derivative. The rate-limiting step in the overall process may not be this (rapid) decomposition itself but (prior to this step) the slow hydrogen transfer from a coordinated H2O2 molecule to the oxygen atom of a pca ligand at the vanadium center: "(pca)(O=)V...O2H2" --> "(pca)(HO-)V-OOH". The V(IV) derivative reacts with a new hydrogen peroxide molecule to generate the hydroxyl radical ("V(IV)" + H2O2 --> "V(V)" + HO(-) + HO(.-)), active in the activation of isopropanol: HO(.-) + Me2CH(OH) --> H2O + Me2C(.-)(OH). The reaction with an alkane, RH, in acetonitrile proceeds analogously, and in this case the hydroxyl radical abstracts a hydrogen atom from the alkane: HO(.-) + RH --> H2O + R(.-). These conclusions are in a good agreement with the results obtained by Bell and co-workers (Khaliullin, R. Z.; Bell, A. T.; Head-Gordon, M. J. Phys. Chem. B 2005, 109, 17984-17992) who recently carried out a density functional theory study of the mechanism of radical generation in the reagent under discussion in acetonitrile.

Enantioselective oxidation of di-tert-butyl disulfide with a vanadium catalyst: progress toward mechanism elucidation

The mechanism of the oxidation of di-tert-butyl disulfide (1) to the chiral thiosulfinate (2) by H(2)O(2) catalyzed by bis(acetylacetonato)oxovanadium and a chiral Schiff-base ligand (3) has been investigated. Techniques included (51)V NMR spectroscopy, solvent effects on reaction enantioselectivity, and the isolation and full characterization of a 2:1 ligand-to-vanadium catalyst precursor. A model for the dramatic solvent effect on the enantioselectivity of this reaction was developed, based on the identification of a competing nonselective oxidation pathway. From this model, strategies for limiting this competing pathway were developed.