Vanadium complexes: Recent progress in oxidation catalysis

• Oxidative reactions catalyzed by oxidovanadium complexes are reviewed.
• Mainly recent advances in the last five years (2010–2014) are discussed.
• Both homogeneous and supported vanadium catalysts are presented and compared.
• The proposed mechanisms of some of these processes are outlined.

Oxidovanadium complexes and, to a less extent, some non-oxido ones, are widely used as catalysts or catalyst precursors for various oxidative catalytic reactions by H2O2, tBuOOH or O2 under mild conditions. Oxidation reactions (oxidation of alkanes and alcohols, epoxidation of alkenes and allylic alcohols, oxidative bromination, sulfoxidation and oxidative Strecker reactions) of organic compounds are the most relevant ones and are reviewed considering the recent advances in the last five years (2010–2014). The main types of both homogeneous and supported vanadium catalysts and the most efficient catalytic systems in the different reactions are presented and compared. The proposed mechanisms of various catalytic oxidation processes are also outlined.

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