Aerobic Oxidation of Primary Alcohols by a New Mononuclear Cu(II) -Radical Catalyst

P Chaudhuri; M Hess; T Weyhermüller; K Wieghardt

doi:10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19990419)38:8<1095::AID-ANIE1095>3.0.CO;2-I

Aerobic Oxidation of Primary Alcohols by a New Mononuclear Cu(II) -Radical Catalyst

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 1999;38(8):1095-8. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19990419)38:8<1095::AID-ANIE1095>3.0.CO;2-I.

Authors

P Chaudhuri¹, M Hess, T Weyhermüller, K Wieghardt

Affiliation

¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Strahlenchemie, Stiftstrasse 34-36, D-45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, Fax: (+49) 208-306-3952. chaudh@mpi-muelheim.mpg.de.

Abstract

Primary alcohols such as ethanol or benzyl alcohol are selectively and catalytically oxidized by the mononuclear copper(II) radical complex 1-a functional model of the metalloenzyme galactose oxidase-with oxygen from air at 20°C to give the corresponding aldehydes and H2 O2 in about 60 % yield.

Keywords: Alcohols; Copper; Galactose oxidase; Homogeneous catalysis; Metalloenzymes.