Influence of substituents in meso-aryl groups of iron μ-oxo porphyrins on their catalytic activity in the oxidation of cycloalkanes

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the effect of substituents on the catalytic activity of iron μ-oxo porphyrins in oxidation of cycloalkanes. Electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituents were introduced in meso-aryl groups of iron μ-oxo porphyrins. An important part of the work was the characterization of the catalysts, in particular their redox properties. Catalytic performance and selectivity were evaluated using cyclopentane, cyclohexane, and cyclooctane as model compounds. It was shown that not only electron-withdrawing but also electron-donating substituents improved the catalytic performance of iron μ-oxo complexes. Moreover, catalytic activity of iron μ-oxo porphyrins with electron-withdrawing substituents correlated with the half-wave potential E1/2 while the catalytic activity of iron μ-oxo porphyrins with electron-donating substituents increased with the decrease of reduction potential ERED.