FUNCTIONALISATION OF SATURATED HYDROCARBONS. Part X. A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CHEMICAL AND ELECTROCHEMICAL PROCESSES (GIF AND GIF-ORSAY SYSTEMS) IN PYRIDINE, IN ACETONE AND IN PYRIDINE-CO-SOLVENT MIXTURES

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4020(01)85889-0

Six saturated hydrocarbons (cyclohexane, 3-ethylpentane, methylcyclopentane, cis- and trans-decalin and adamantane) were oxidised by the Gif system (iron catalyst, oxygen, zinc, carboxylic acid) and its electrochemical equivalent (Gif-Orsay system).Results obtained using various solvents (pyridine, acetone, pyridine-acetone mixtures) were similar for both systems.Total or partial replacement of pyridine with acetone affects the selectivity for secondary positions and lowers the ketone/secondary alcohol ratio.The formation of the same ratio of cis- and trans-decal-9-ol from both cis- and trans-decalin clearly demonstrates that tertiary alcohols result from a mechanism essentially radical in nature.