Efficient and Selective Oxidation of Primary and Secondary Alcohols Using an Iron(III)/Phenanthroline Complex: Structural Studies and Catalytic Activity

An efficient catalytic system for the oxidation of alcohols has been developed by using iron(III) catalyst [Fe(phen)2Cl2]NO3 (1) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) and H2O2 as terminal oxidant. A series of primary and secondary alcohols were oxidized into aldehydes and ketones in good yields and excellent selectivities after a short reaction time. The mononuclear iron(III) complex [Fe(phen)2Cl2]NO3 was characterized by several independent methods. The X-ray structure shows distorted octahedral geometry around the FeIII center, which is in a high-spin state (S = 5/2) according to Mossbauer study.