MANGANESE(II) BASED OXIDATION OF ALKANES - GENERATION OF A HIGH-VALENT BINUCLEAR CATALYST IN-SITU

The efficiently Mn2+-catalysed oxidation of saturated hydrocarbons by alkylhydroperoxides or iodosylbenzene in the presence of 2,2'-bipyridi ne in acetonitrile follows the following pathway: Mn2+ + bipy -->, [Mn (bipy)(3)](2+) --> [Mn2O2(bipy)(4)](3+), the latter being identified a s the catalytic species; it affords cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone in equal amounts and the remarkable robustness of the active complex, und er oxidative conditions, is noted.