Unmatched efficiency and selectivity in the epoxidation of olefins with oxo-diperoxomolybdenum(VI) complexes as catalysts and hydrogen peroxide as terminal oxidant

A great variety of olefinic substrates having aromatic, carbocyclic and aliphatic olefins are effectively and selectively oxidized with oxygen-rich molybdenum(VI) complexes, namely [MoO(O2)2·2QOH] 1, [MoO(O2)(QO)2] 2, [Mo(O)2(QO)2] 3, [PPh4][MoO(O2)2(QO)] 4, [PPh4][Mo(O)2(O2)(QO)] 5 and [PPh4][Mo(O)3(QO)] 6 (QOH = 8-quinolinol) as catalyst, NaHCO3 as co-catalyst and H2O2 as the terminal oxidant, at room temperature. Catalysts 1 and 4 show unmatched yield, turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF), and hence shortest reaction time.

Diverse type of alkenes were catalyzed to their epoxides in high yield, TON and TOF using oxodiperoxo and oxomonoperoxo complexes of molybdenum(VI).