FeCl3-activated oxidation of alkanes by [Os(N)O3]-

Although the ion [Os-VIII(N)(O)(3)](-) is a stable species and is not known to act as an oxidant for organic substrates, it is readily activated by FeCl3 in CH2Cl2/CH3CO2H to oxidize alkanes efficiently at room temperature. The oxidation can be made catalytic by using 2,6-dichloropyridine N-oxide as the terminal oxidant. The active intermediates in stoichiometric and catalytic oxidation are proposed to be [(O)(3)Os(VIII)dropN-Fe-III] and [Cl-4(O)Os(VIII)dropN-Fe-III], respectively.