Mn (Br8TPPS) supported on Amberlite IRA-400 as a robust and efficient catalyst for alkene epoxidation and alkane hydroxylation

Article abstract of DOI:10.3390/70200264

Manganese (III) meso-tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl)-β-octabromoporphyrin (supported on Amberlite IRA-400 [Mn(Br₈TPPS)-Ad-400] is a robust and efficient catalyst for epoxidation of alkenes and hydroxylation of alkanes with sodium periodate at room temperature.

Full text of DOI:10.3390/70200264

Molecules 2002, 7, 264-270
molecules
ISSN 1420-3049
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Mn (Br8TPPS) Supported on Amberlite IRA-400 as a Robust
and Efficient Catalyst for Alkene Epoxidation and Alkane
Hydroxylation
S. Tangestaninejad*, M. H. Habibi, V. Mirkhani and M. Moghadam
Department of Chemistry, Isfahan University, Isfahan 81744, Iran; Fax: +98 (311)6689732
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E- mail: majid.m@sci.ui.ac.ir
Received: 29 June 2001; in revised form: 17 February 2002 / Accepted: 18 February 2002/
Published: 28 February 2002
Abstract: Manganese (III) meso-tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl)-β-octabromoporphyrin
supported on Amberlite IRA-400 [Mn(Br8TPPS)-Ad-400] is a robust and efficient catalyst
for epoxidation of alkenes and hydroxylation of alkanes with sodium periodate at room
temperature.
Keywords: Octabromoporphyrin, epoxidation, hydroxylation, sodium periodate
Introduction
Epoxidation of alkenes and hydroxylation of alkanes catalyzed by metalloporphyrin catalysts is a
subject of much investigation. A variety of oxygen donors like iodosylarenes, hypochlorites,
alkylhydroperoxides, hydrogen peroxide and periodates have been used these transformations [1]. In
fact, the majority of the studies are directed toward understanding the mechanism of the catalytic
activity of heme-containing enzymes such as cytochrome P-450. Homogeneous metalloporphyrin
catalysts with steric hindrance, and those containing sophisticated chiral auxiliaries, or strongly
electron-withdrawing groups can exhibit high regio- [2-5], shape- [4-6] and enantioselectivity [7], and
high catalyst turnovers [8,9]. However, difficulty in recovery and the high cost of the catalysts
outweigh these appealing features and so far have made their applications to synthesis impractical. A

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265
potential approach to prepare commercial metalloporphyrin catalysts is to immobilize them onto solid
supports. Such immobilization makes the catalysts separable from reaction mixtures and reusable,
enhance the catalyst stability towards oxidation and allow preparation of environmentally friendly
catalysts. Many heterogenized metalloporphyrin catalysts have been reported for alkene epoxidation
and alkane hydroxylation [10-23].
Results and Discussion
This report describes the use of Mn(Br8TPPS) supported on Amberlite IRA-400 for epoxidation of
alkenes and hydroxylation of alkanes with sodium periodate in a CH3CN/H2O mixture at room
temperature. Mn(Br8TPPS) is a sulfonated hindered metalloporphyrin with electron withdrawing
substituents at the β-positions of the pyrroles. The electronegative groups on the pyrrole moieties
enhance the reactivity of the metal oxo species and immobilization of the metalloporphyrin on ion-
exchange resin (Amberlite IRA-400) and avoid µ-oxo formation. The catalyst exhibits a high activity
and stability in alkene epoxidation and alkane hydroxylation by NaIO4. Scheme 1 shows the reaction
conditions:
Scheme 1
O
MnIII(Br8TPPS)-Ad 400/imidazole
NaIO4/CH3CN/H2O
or
or
O
OH
R1-CH-R2
R1-CH2-R2
R1-C-R2
and
It is found that addition of a heterocyclic nitrogen base such as imidazole or 1-methylimidazole to
this catalytic system improves the activity of the catalyst. In the presence of imidazole, the
Mn(Br8TPPS) –Ad-400 system converts different olefins efficiently to their corresponding epoxides
(Table1). Epoxidation of trans-stilbene proceeds in a stereospecific manner with complete retention of
configuration. In contrast, epoxidation of cis-stilbene is associated with some lose of stereochemistry
and affords 80% cis- and 10% trans-stilbene oxides, respectively. This catalytic system exhibits a good
regioselectivity for epoxidation of R-(+)-limonene. The ratio among 1,2- and 8,9-epoxides was found
to be 2.3:1.
Selective partial alkane hydroxylation is a particularly challenging problem in organic chemistry.
Mn(Br8TPPS)-Ad-400 catalytic system oxidizes different alkanes to corresponding alcohols and
ketones with sodium periodate in CH3CN/H2O mixture at room temperature (Table 2). Overoxidation
of the alkane hydroxylation product is highly dependent on the nature of the hydrocarbon itself. In the
case of benzylic hydroxylation the main products detected were ketones due to the subsequent
transformation of alcohols to ketones in the reaction mixtures. The hydroxylation of cis-decaline gives
the cis-9-decanol and cis-1-decalone in yield 20 and 36%, respectively. In the case of

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266
tetrahydronaphtalene and propylbenzene only α-tetralone and ethylphenylketone have been identified
in the reaction mixtures, respectively.
Table 1: Epoxidation of alkenes with NaIO4 catalyzed by Mn(Br8TPPS)-Ad-400 in
the presence of imidazole at room temperature
Entry
Alkene
Conversion(%)a Epoxide yield(%)a
Reaction time/h
1
92
93
90
92
78
67
6
2
3
6
6
4
5
90
70
65
70
4
6
6
7
55
88
55
88
10
6
60(1,2-epoxide)b
26(8,9-epoxide)b
8
86
6
9
60
90
60(trans-epoxide)b
6
6
80(cis-epoxide)b
10(trans-epoxide)b
10
a GLC yield based on starting alkene; bBoth 1H-NMR and GLC data confirmed the reported yields.

Molecules 2002, 7
267
Table 2: Hydroxylation of alkanes with NaIO4 catalyzed by Mn(Br8TPPS)-
Ad-400 in presence of imidazole at room temperature
Entry
Alkane
Ketone(%)a
Alcohol(%)a
Reaction time/h
1
28
17
10
2
3
50
36
4
10
10
20
4
5
57
39
-
-
10
10
6
7
27
90
-
-
10
10
a: GLC yield based on starting alkane.
Conclusions
This robust and stable catalytic system is a convenient and efficient system that expands the scope
of utilization of metalloporphyrins in useful organic transformations.
Acknowledgements
The partial support of this work by the University of Isfahan Research Council is greatfully
acknowledged.
Experimental
General
Alkenes, alkanes and alkylaromatic compounds were obtained from Merck and Fluka and purified
prior to use by passing through a column containing active alumina to remove peroxidic impurities.

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The porphyrin ligand H2TPPS was prepared, brominated and metallated according to literature
procedures [24-26].
Immobilization of Mn(Br8TPPS) on Amberlite IRA-400
Mn(Br8TPPS) (0.5 g) was dissolved in a 1:1 mixture of acetone-water and Amberlite IRA-400 (5 g)
o
was added to the solution. The mixture was stirred at 80 C for 8 h. The mixture was cooled to room
temperature, filtered, washed with water and acetone and dried. The polymer supported porphyrin is
insoluble in common organic solvents. The reflectance spectrum clearly indicates a Soret band at 488
nm and a Q band at 566 nm. IR spectrum of the solid supported manganese porphyrin shows ν(S=O) at
1400 and 1180 cm-1. The degree of manganese porphyrin incorporation into the polymer was
determined by neutron activation analysis (NAA), which gave a value of about 0.29% w/w.
Typical procedure for oxidation reactions catalyzed by Mn(Br8TPPS)-Ad-400
All of the reactions were carried out at room temperature under air in a 25 mL flask equipped with a
magnetic stirring bar. A solution of NaIO4 (2 mmol) in H2O (10 mL) was added to a mixture of alkene
or alkane (1 mmol), Mn(Br8TPPS)-Ad 400 (11 µmol) and imidazole (0.2 mmol) in CH3CN (10 mL).
The progress of reaction was monitored by GLC. The reaction mixture was diluted with CH2Cl2 (20
mL) and filtered. The resin was thoroughly washed with CH2Cl2 and combined washings and filtrates
1
were purified on silica-gel plates or a silica-gel column. IR and H-NMR spectral data confirmed the
identities of the products.
Catalyst reuse and stability
The stability of Mn(Br8TPPS)-Ad 400 was studied in repeated epoxidation reactions. The
epoxidation of α-methylstyrene was chosen as a model substrate for studying of catalyst reuse and
stability. The reaction was carried out as described above. At the end of the reaction, the catalyst was
removed by filtration and washed with water and acetonitrile and reused. The dried catalyst was
consecutively reused four times. After the use of catalyst for four consecutive times, the conversion
yield was 88%. The amount of leached Mn (1.0 %) was determined by atomic absorption.
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Sample availability: Samples of the catalyst Mn(Br8TPPS) are available from MDPI.
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