Experimental and theoretical evidence for nonheme iron(III) alkylperoxo species as sluggish oxidants in oxygenation reactions

Abstract

The active oxidant that oxygenates organic substrates is an iron(IV) oxo intermediate, namely, [(tpa)FeIV(O)(CH3CN)]2+ (2), which is formed through O-O bond homolysis, according to experimental and computational studies on the reactivity of nonheme iron(III) alkylperoxo complex [(tpa)FeIII(OOtBu)(CH3CN)]2+ (1), which was shown to be a sluggish electrophilic oxidant that is incapable of oxygenating organic substrates. tpa = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine. (Chemical Equation Presented). © 2007 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.