5-COORDINATE CARBON HYDROXYLATION MECHANISM

Oxygen rebound mechanism for hydrocarbon hydroxylation by high-valent metal complexes is critically analyzed and is shown to be contradictor y in certain aspects. The synchronous insertion of O atom mechanism is found to be significantly less contradictory (at least for the most i nteresting cases of strong C-H bonds, for example in methane) if it is supplemented by the stage of formation of the five-coordinate carbon intermediate complex of a hydrocarbon molecule via oxygen atom of an a ctive center.