Abstract
AbstractThis review article summarizes recent progress in utilization of methane as a sustainable carbon resource by homogeneous catalysis. Such conversion is a very difficult subject because the CH bond of methane is too strong to break under moderate conditions where catalyst molecules and common organic solvents can survive, and the concentration of methane in solution is usually too low. Three major synthetic targets are methanol, acetic acid, and acetaldehyde. As for the conversion of methane to methanol, the products are in many cases esters [CH3OC(O)CF3or CH3OSO3H] since it is a smart way to prevent secondary reactions of the products. Acetic acid can be formed via oxidative carbonylation or a seemingly direct addition of CO2. Methane conversions proceed through (1) electrophilic CH bond activation in a strongly acidic medium, (2) radical reactions promoted in many cases by K2S2O8, and (3) CH oxidative additions to low valent transition metal complexes. Related reactions of other hydrocarbons are also described to some extent for reference.
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