ALKENE EPOXIDATION BY IODOSYLBENZENE CATALYZED BY IRON(III) 5,10,15,20-TETRA(2,6-DICHLOROPHENYL)PORPHYRIN COORDINATED TO PYRIDINE-MODIFIED SILICA

Six silicas, with different surface areas, pore sizes and pore volumes , have been surface modified with pyridine groups and used to support iron(III) 5,10,15,20-tetra (2,6-dichlorophenyl) porphyrin ((FeTDCPP)-T -III) by ligation to the metal ion. Comparison of these materials (SiP y-(FeTDCPP)-T-III) as catalysts for the epoxidation of (Z)-cyclooctene by iodosylbenzene in dichloromethane reveals that all have essentiall y the same catalytic activity and that the heterogeneous reactions are significantly slower (ca. ten-fold) than the homogeneous analogue. In small scale repeat-use experiments the catalysts achieve 2200 catalys t turnovers without loss of activity. however, larger scale reactions (7900 turnovers) lead to catalytic oxidative bleaching and > 50% reduc tion in activity. A Hammett study of the epoxidation of styrene and 4- substituted styrenes gives rho values (vs. sigma(+)) of -0.95 and -0.9 8 for oxidations catalysed by (FeTDCPP)-T-III and a supported catalyst SiPy-(FeTDCPP)-T-III, respectively. The similarity of these values to each other and to values from other iron(III) porphyrin-catalysed epo xidations is discussed. A minor pathway in the oxidation of the styren es in air that leads to benzaldehydes is attributed to dioxygen interc epting an intermediate in the reaction. Oxidations of (Z)- and (E)-4-m ethylpent-2-ene catalysed by (FeTDCPP)-T-III and by SiPy-(FeTDCPP)-T-I II show a marked difference. With the former the relative reactivity o f (Z)- to (E)-alkene is 13:1, whereas the latter fails to catalyse the epoxidation of the (E)-alkene and instead is converted into a green m aterial; this Is possibly an iron N-alkylporphyrin.