Regioselective oxidation of hydrocarbons using a chemical catalyst that is cost-effective, robust and avoid self-oxidation is a challenge facing many synthetic chemists.
Nature on the other hand, unequivocally performs such reactions under ambient conditions as many important biological transformations require activation of C-H bond. Copper containing metalloenzymes play a significant role in dioxygen activation and hydrocarbon functionalization in nature. The development of environmentally-friendly copper mediated oxidations with ecological oxidants has attracted considerable attention across many scientific disciplines. However, there is debate over which active oxygen species is responsible for chemical activity.
Thorough spectroscopic characterization of synthetic analogues of copper oxidases has been essential for understanding the structure and function of the native enzyme and how to apply that knowledge towards rational catalyst design. We have synthesized copper containing coordination complexes supported by tetradentate ligands. We investigated the reactions of these Cu (II) complexes with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a strong oxidant toward different organic substrates. Furthermore, we will explore reactivity of these complexes with cumyl hydroperoxide to elucidate reaction mechanism. These experimental data will corroborate our theoretical findings. Our understanding of effects of ligand rigidity and denticity on the nature of peroxide bond cleavage products will be discussed.