A practical innovative method for highly selective oxidation of alcohols in neat water using water-insoluble iron and manganese porphyrins as reusable heterogeneous catalysts

A novel heterogeneous method for clean and selective oxidation of alcohols to the aldehydes and ketones using tetrabutylammonium peroxomonosulfate (n-Bu4NHSO5) in neat water catalyzed by simple Fe (III) and Mn (III) meso-tetraphenylporphyrin as a water-insoluble catalyst has been developed. The oxidation system proceeds well in the absence of organic co-solvents and surfactants. The presence of an electron-donating group on the phenyl ring of benzyl alcohol increases the reactivity of substrate. The catalysts could easily be recycled and reused without noticeable loss of activity and the oxidant's by-product (n-Bu4NHSO4) could also be recycled.

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► Fe- and Mn-porphyrins catalyze highly selective alcohol oxidation in neat water.
► The reactions proceed well in the absence of organic co-solvents and surfactants.
► The porphyrin catalysts can be easily recycled and reused without loss of activity.