Recent Advances Review on Iron Complexes as Catalyst in Oxidation Reactions of Organic Compounds

Abstract

The complexes of iron are found to be too reactive and are too diverse in their reactivity, when compared to the other neighbouring metals in the group. Iron complexes are used in various catalytic reactions such as oxygenation of C–H bonds, the oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes, ketones (or) carboxylic acids, the epoxidation or dihydroxylation of alkenes and oxidative coupling reactions. Efforts are taken to avoid certain disadvantages taking place during enzymatic catalysis such as the temperature and solvent sensitivity, narrow substrate scope, restricted accessibility and so on observed while using other catalysts via iron enzymes. This helped in the various synthesis of complex molecules by increase in the number of iron catalyst systems for the oxidation reactions.