Mechanistic insights into the biomimetic catalytic hydroxylation of arenes by a molecular Fe(NHC) complex

Organometallic 3d transition metal NHC complexes in oxidation catalysis

The development of processes for the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons is a major focus in catalysis research. Making this process simultaneously environmentally friendly is still challenging. 3d transition metals are...

Iron N-heterocyclic carbene complexes in homogeneous catalysis

This review article summarizes recent development of homogeneous iron N-heterocyclic carbene catalysts.

Exploring different coordination modes of the first tetradentate NHC/1,2,3-triazole hybrid ligand for group 10 complexes

Synthesis and characterisation of the first tetradentate N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)/1,2,3-triazole hybrid ligand obtained by means of copper(i) catalyzed “click” chemistry and its application for the synthesis of group 10 complexes is reported.

Mechanism of selective benzene hydroxylation catalyzed by iron-containing zeolites

A direct, catalytic conversion of benzene to phenol would have wide-reaching economic impacts. Fe zeolites exhibit a remarkable combination of high activity and selectivity in this conversion, leading to their past implementation at the pilot plant level. There were, however, issues related to catalyst deactivation for this process. Mechanistic insight could resolve these issues, and also provide a blueprint for achieving high performance in selective oxidation catalysis. Recently, we demonstrated that the active site of selective hydrocarbon oxidation in Fe zeolites, named α-O, is an unusually reactive Fe(IV)=O species. Here, we apply advanced spectroscopic techniques to determine that the reaction of this Fe(IV)=O intermediate with benzene in fact regenerates the reduced Fe(II) active site, enabling catalytic turnover. At the same time, a small fraction of Fe(III)-phenolate poisoned active sites form, defining a mechanism for catalyst deactivation. Density-functional theory calculations provide further insight into the experimentally defined mechanism. The extreme reactivity of α-O significantly tunes down (eliminates) the rate-limiting barrier for aromatic hydroxylation, leading to a diffusion-limited reaction coordinate. This favors hydroxylation of the rapidly diffusing benzene substrate over the slowly diffusing (but more reactive) oxygenated product, thereby enhancing selectivity. This defines a mechanism to simultaneously attain high activity (conversion) and selectivity, enabling the efficient oxidative upgrading of inert hydrocarbon substrates.

Immediate hydroxylation of arenes to phenols via V-containing all-silica ZSM-22 zeolite triggered non-radical mechanism

Hydroxylation of arenes via activation of aromatic C_sp2–H bond has attracted great attention for decades but remains a huge challenge. Herein, we achieve the ring hydroxylation of various arenes with stoichiometric hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) into the corresponding phenols on a robust heterogeneous catalyst series of V–Si–ZSM-22 (TON type vanadium silicalite zeolites) that is straightforward synthesized from an unusual ionic liquid involved dry-gel-conversion route. For benzene hydroxylation, the phenol yield is 30.8% (selectivity >99%). Ring hydroxylation of mono-/di-alkylbenzenes and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons cause the yields up to 26.2% and selectivities above 90%. The reaction is completed within 30 s, the fastest occasion so far, resulting in ultra-high turnover frequencies (TOFs). Systematic characterization including ⁵¹V NMR and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analyses suggest that such high activity associates with the unique non-radical hydroxylation mechanism arising from the in situ created diperoxo V(IV) state.

Hydroxylation of arenes via activation of aromatic C_sp2–H bond remains a challenge. Here, the authors have managed to get various arenes hydroxylated to corresponding phenols using stoichiometric hydrogen peroxide and a series of robust V–Si–ZSM-22 catalysts synthesized via an ionic liquid involved dry-gel-conversion route.