Methane oxidation by aqueous osmium tetroxide and sodium periodate: Inhibition of methanol oxidation by methane

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.200602560

(Graph Presented) Cast in a new role: Aqueous solutions of OsO₄ and NaIO₄ oxidize methane to methanol under very mild conditions (see scheme). The generated methanol is preserved over 5 days at 50°C, although it is more readily oxidized than methane in separate experiments. Remarkably, methanol oxidation by aqueous OsO₄/NaIO₄ is inhibited by the presence of methane.

Full text of DOI:10.1002/anie.200602560

Angewandte
Chemie
Methane and Methanol Oxidation
DOI: 10.1002/anie.200602560
Methane Oxidation by Aqueous Osmium
Tetroxide and Sodium Periodate: Inhibition of
Methanol Oxidation by Methane**
Takao Osako, Eric J. Watson, Ahmad Dehestani,
Brian C. Bales, and James M. Mayer*
The direct oxidation of methane to methanol has long been
one of the most important challenges in chemical reactivity.[1]
Methane is the primary component of natural gas and is used
both as a fuel and a feedstock. However, transportation and
storage of methane are more demanding than for liquid
[*] Dr. T. Osako, Dr. E. J. Watson, Dr. A. Dehestani, Dr. B. C. Bales,
Prof. Dr. J. M. Mayer
Department of Chemistry
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-1700 (USA)
Fax: (+1)206-685-8665
E-mail: mayer@chem.washington.edu
[**] This work was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation
(CHE-0204697 and CHE-0513023), the U.S. National Institutes of
Health, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS
Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroad to T.O.). We thank R.
Morley for glassblowing.
Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW
under http://www.angewandte.org or from the author.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 7433 –7436
ꢀ 2006 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
7433

Communications
methanol. Conversion of methane to methanol is difficult
ꢀ1 [2]
ꢀ
owing to the strong methane C H bond (105 kcalmol )
and the ease of over-oxidation of methanol. Much effort has
been devoted to this challenge, using both homogeneous and
heterogeneous processes. Heterogeneous methane oxidation
has been explored with many metal oxides, typically at high
temperatures.[1,3] Studies of low-temperature, homogeneous
methane oxidation have been inspired by the methane-
oxidizing enzymes[4] and the discovery by Shilov et al. of the
catalytic conversion of methane into CH3OH and CH3Cl with
aqueous platinum salts.[5] Most of the enzymatic, biomimetic,
and heterogeneous reactions are thought to follow free-
radical pathways.[1,6,7] In contrast, the various Shilov-type
systems utilizing soft heavy-metal ions are thought to have
organometallic mechanisms initiated by methane binding to
the metal.[8]
Herein, we describe a new approach to direct methane
oxidation, using aqueous osmium tetroxide and sodium
periodate (OsO4/NaIO4). Methanol overoxidation is still an
issue in this system but remarkably methane inhibits the
oxidation of methanol under these conditions. OsO4 and
RuO4 could be the only two binary metal oxides whose
reactivity with CH4 has not been reported before, because
their volatility and toxicity prevent heterogeneous, high-
temperature studies. RuO4 oxidizations of higher alkanes
have been described[9] and we have reported OsO4 oxidations
[10]
of H2 and higher alkanes (not methane) in basic aqueous
solutions.[11]
Solutions of OsO4 and NaIO4 in D2O react with CH4 at
508C to give CH3OH, CH2(OH)2, and CO2 [Eq. (1)]. This
OsO4=NaIO4
Figure 1. Oxidations of methane (9.5 atm) by OsO4 and NaIO4, both
50 mm in D2O, at 508C. The asterisk peaks are due to the capillary
standard (C6Me6 and H2O in C6D6). A) 1H NMR spectrum for 12CH4
oxidation after 3 days. B) 13C{1H} NMR spectrum for 13CH4 oxidation
after 3 days. C) Time course for the oxidation of 12CH4.
CH4
CH OH þ CH ðOHÞ þ CO
ð1Þ
ƒƒƒƒƒƒ!
3
2
2
2
D2 O at 50 ꢁ
C
reaction—and all of the reactions described herein—used
50 mm concentrations of OsO4 and NaIO4 in D2O in a flame-
sealed NMR tube containing 9.5 atm of methane (12 mm[12]
)
at 508C.[13] The products were observed and quantified by
1H NMR spectroscopy, referenced to a solution of C6Me6 in
C6D6 in a sealed capillary in the NMR tube: d = 3.38 ppm,
CH3OH, 0.32 mm; d = 4.85 ppm, CH2(OH)2, 0.24 mm (Fig-
ure 1 A). Oxidation of 13CH4 (99% 13C) under the standard
conditions occurs similarly, with the 13C{1H} NMR spectrum
showing 13CH3OH, 13CH2(OH)2, and 13CO2 at d = 49, 82, and
out in the higher-temperature, high-pH value oxidation of iso-
butane based on the clean selectivity for oxidation of the
tertiary C H bond[11]). Methane coordination to osmium is
ꢀ
also very unlikely given the limited affinity of OsO4 for strong
ligands, such as pyridine.[15] Perhaps the pathway involves
1
ꢀ
[3+2] addition of a methane C H bond to two oxo groups, as
125 ppm, respectively (Figure 1B). Monitoring by H NMR
has been suggested in computational studies of CH4 reactions
with OsO4 and RuO4,[16] and in experimental and computa-
tional studies of OsO4 and RuO4 oxidations of H2 and higher
alkanes.[9–11,17]
spectroscopy showed that the methanol concentration
reached 0.28 mm within 4 h of reaction and rose only slightly
over the following 5 days (Figure 1C). The final methanol
concentration is only 0.6% of the starting OsO4 and NaIO4
concentrations, and 2.7% of the starting methane concen-
tration. The reactions are carried out anaerobically, so OsVIII
and IVII are the only oxidants present.[14] No methane
The oxidation of methanol by OsO4 and/or NaIO4 has also
been examined. There are a number of reports of alcohol
oxidations by OsO4 and by iodates, and IO4ꢀ has been used as
the terminal oxidant in OsO4-catalyzed reactions.[18] We find
that 5 mm 13CH3OH is completely oxidized within 3 h at 508C
by OsO4/NaIO4 under 9.5 atm of argon (Figure 2C). In
contrast, oxidation of 13CH3OH under the same conditions
except with 9.5 atm 12CH4 instead of Ar, proceeds much more
slowly: most of the methanol still present after 5 days at 508C
(Figure 2A, B). Methanol oxidation is slowed by a factor of
approximately 103 by 9.5 atm CH4.
1
oxidation products are detected by H and 13C NMR spec-
troscopy using aqueous NaIO4 without OsO4, or in OsO4
without IO4ꢀ. The latter experiment was performed with
phosphate buffer to set the pH to 4.3, the characteristic
pH value of 50 mm periodate solutions. Thus, both OsO4 and
NaIO4 are needed for the formation of methanol.
Mechanistically, methane oxidation is unlikely to involve
hydroxyl radicals given the mild conditions (OHC was ruled
7434
www.angewandte.org
ꢀ 2006 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 7433 –7436

Angewandte
Chemie
Figure 3. Time courses for the degas–reseal experiments at 508C
(5 mm 13CH3OH, 50 mm OsO4, 50 mm NaIO4 in D2O). A) Reaction
under 9.5 atm 12CH4, which was then degassed and resealed under
9.5 atm Ar at the arrow/dotted line. B) Reaction under 9.5 atm Ar then
9.5 atm 12CH4 at the arrow (10 min).
Figure 2. Oxidations of 13CH3OH (5 mm) by OsO4 and NaIO4, both
50 mm in D2O, at 508C. The asterisk peaks are due to the capillary
standard (C6Me6 and H2O in C6D6). A,B) Under 9.5 atm 12CH4:
A) initial 1H NMR spectrum, B) after 5 days. C) Time courses for the
showed no difference from a constant methane atmosphere.
These experiments indicate that the inhibition is caused by
methane, rather than products of methane oxidation.
Methanol oxidation by OsO4/NaIO4 is also inhibited by
CD4, but is not affected by 9.5 atm of Xe or Ar, 1 atm N2, or
30 mL CCl4. Preliminary experiments suggest that methanol
oxidation at 508C is also inhibited by ethane and iso-butane
but not by 30 mL of cyclohexane. Inhibition by methane is not
observed in the presence of 500 mm phosphate buffer
(maintaining the pH of 4.4 set by IO4ꢀ alone).
oxidations under 9.5 atm 12CH4 (&) or 9.5 atm Ar ( ). Inset: initial
*
stage of the reaction under 9.5 atm Ar for 0–3.5 h.
This very surprising inhibition by methane has been
confirmed by two of the co-authors in a variety of experi-
ments over more than a year. We have used 12CH4/13CH3OH
and 13CH4/12CH3OH, with different samples of OsO4, period-
ate, and D2O. The most dramatic observations come from
degas–reseal experiments. A long medium-walled NMR tube
was charged with 5.0 mm 13CH3OH, OsO4, and NaIO4 in D2O
under our standard conditions. After three freeze-pump-
thaw-degas cycles, 12CH4 was added and the tube flame-sealed
(all experiments carried out at 9.5 atm gas pressure[19]). After
4 days at 508C, only 18% of the 13CH3OH had been
consumed (Figure 3 A). The solution was then frozen, and
the tube was cut open and returned to the vacuum line. The
methane was removed with three freeze-pump-thaw cycles
and replaced with argon, and the tube was re-sealed with a
torch. Upon further heating of the same solution—having
changed only the gas present—the methanol was consumed
within 3 h. Figure 3B shows the results of the complementary
experiment: in the first stage under Ar, 64% of the 13CH3OH
is consumed after 10 min but after resealing under 12CH4 the
remaining 13CH3OH was preserved over 5 days and 12CH3OH
was generated from 12CH4.
Under our standard conditions,[13] methanol oxidations by
OsO4 alone, or by NaIO4 alone, are much slower than with the
two oxidants together (36–43% 13CH3OH consumed after
200 h versus completely consumed in 3 h). The presence of
12CH4 does not affect 13CH3OH oxidation by OsO4 alone and
slows the oxidation by NaIO4 by only a factor of about 4
(Supporting Information). Reactions of the separated oxi-
dants are roughly as fast as observed for CH4-inhibited OsO4/
NaIO4. Thus an unusually active oxidant is formed from
OsO4/NaIO4, consistent with the methane oxidation results.
There is, however, no optical spectroscopic evidence for any
interaction between OsO4 and IO4ꢀ. It should be noted that
under 9.5 atm CH4, the methane concentration in D2O is 9.5 ꢂ
0.4 mm in all these solutions, varying only marginally with the
other materials present in solution.
The inhibition of a reaction by a low concentration of
methane is to our knowledge unprecedented. Methane is
usually viewed as a very inert material. Under the conditions
where inhibition is observed, only a small fraction of the OsO4
and NaIO4 are consumed, and there is no evidence from
optical or NMR spectroscopy for any interaction of methane
with any of the reagents. It is not clear whether the origin of
this highly unusual inhibition is a chemical effect, inhibiting
formation of the OsO4/NaIO4 active oxidant, or a physical
Figure 3A shows that the inhibition is caused by a material
that is removed upon degassing. No inhibition is observed under
argon in the presence of the volatile oxidation products CO or
CO2 (or formaldehyde or H2). A degas–reseal experiment in
which the initial methane was replaced with fresh methane
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 7433 –7436
ꢀ 2006 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
www.angewandte.org
7435

Communications
[13] Typical procedure: A medium walled NMR tube was charged
with 400 mL of a solution of OsO4 (50 mm; Colonial Metal) and
NaIO4 (50 mm; Aldrich) in D2O (Cambridge Isotope). After
three cycles of freeze-pump thaw degassing, 12CH4 (7.2 mL of
1 atm; 99.99%, Matheson) at 258C was condensed into the tube
with liquid N2. The NMR tube was flame sealed to be 15 cm in
length, shaken vigorously, and then placed in an oil bath at 508C.
[14] Other IVII oxyanions are present in 50 mm aqueous NaIO4
solutions: I. Kerezsi, G. Lente, I. Fµbiµn, Dalton Trans. 2004, 342.
[15] “Osmium”: W. P. Griffith in Comprehensive Coordination
Chemistry, Vol. 4 (Ed.: G. Wilkinson), Pergamon, New York,
1987, p. 519.
effect related to unusual solvation in H2O/CH4 (perhaps
related to H2O/CH4 clathrates[20]).
In conclusion, aqueous solutions of OsO4 and NaIO4
oxidize methane to give a small amount of methanol under
very mild aqueous conditions: 508C, 9.5 atm CH4. Further
oxidation of methanol is competitive with methane oxidation.
The presence of methane substantially inhibits the oxidation
of methanol. Further studies are in progress to define the
scope, kinetics, and mechanisms of both the methane
oxidation and this unprecedented inhibition.
[16] a) W. H. Lam, A. Dehestani, D. A. Hrovat, E. R. Davidson,
W. T. Borden, J. M. Mayer, unpublished results, 2004; b) M.
Drees, T. Strassner, J. Org. Chem. 2006, 71, 1755.
[17] J. P. Collman, L. M. Slaughter, T. A. Eberspacher, T. Strassner,
J. I. Brauman, Inorg. Chem. 2001, 40, 6272.
[18] a) W. P. Griffith, M. Suriaatmaja, Can. J. Chem. 2001, 79, 598;
b) A. M. Maione, A. Romeo, Synthesis 1984, 955; c) B. Singh,
A. K. Singh, M. B. Singh, A. P. Singh, Tetrahedron 1986, 42, 715;
d) S. Singh, A. Gupta, A. K. Singh, Transition Met. Chem. 1998,
23, 277; e) G. A. Hiremath, P. L. Timanagoudar, R. B. Chougale,
S. T. Nandibewoor, J. Indian Chem. Soc. 1998, 75, 363.
[19] The results are identical with 1 atm N2 in place of 9.5 atm Ar.
[20] See a) S. F. Dec, K. E. Bowler, L. L. Stadterman, C. A. Koh,
E. D. Sloan, Jr., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 414; b) Z. Cao,
J. W. Tester, K. A. Sparks, B. L. Trout, J. Phys. Chem. B 2001,
105, 10950.
Received: June 27, 2006
Keywords: inhibition · methane · methanol · osmium · oxidation
.
[1] a) H. D. Gesser, N. R. Hunter in Methane Conversion by
Oxidative Processes (Ed.: E. E. Wolf), Van Nostrand Reinhold,
New York, 1992, p. 403; b) M. G. Axelrod, A. M. Gaffney, R.
Pitchai, J. A. Sofranko in Natural Gas Conversion II, Elsevier,
Amsterdam, 1994, p. 93; c) J. H. Lunsford, Catal. Today 2000, 63,
165; d) R. H. Crabtree, Chem. Rev. 1995, 95, 987.
[2] NIST Chemistry WebBook, http://webbook.nist.gov/chemistry/
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg
MD, 2005.
[3] a) H. D. Gesser, N. R. Hunter, C. B. Parkash, Chem. Rev. 1985,
85, 235; b) T. J. Hall, J. Hargreaves, G. J. Huncthing, R. W.
Richard, W. Joyner, S. H. Taylor, Fuel Process. Technol. 1995, 42,
151; c) K. Tanaka, Y. Teng, T. Takemato, Catal. Rev. 2002, 44, 1.
[4] a) H. Zheng, J. D. Lipscomb, Biochemistry 2006, 45, 1685;
b) M. H. Baik, M. Newcomb, R. A. Friesner, S. J. Lippard,
Chem. Rev. 2003, 103, 2385; c) R. L. Lieberman, A. C. Rose-
nzweig, Nature 2005, 434, 177.
[5] a) N. F. Goldshleger, V. V. Eskova, A. E. Shilov, A. A. Shtein-
man, Zh. Fiz. Khim. 1972, 46, 1353; b) A. E. Shilov, G. B.
Shulꢀpin, Chem. Rev. 1997, 97, 2897.
[6] see, for example, J. A. Labinger, Catal. Lett. 1988, 1, 371, and
ref. [3c].
[7] a) Biomimetic Oxidations Catalyzed by Transition Metal Com-
plexes (Ed.: B. Meunier), Imperial College Press, London 2000;
b) J. M. Mayer, E. A. Mader, J. P. Roth, J. R. Bryant, T. Matsuo,
A. Dehestani, B. C. Bales, E. J. Watson, T. Osako, K. Valliant-
Saunders, W. H. Lam, D. A. Hrovat, W. T. Bordon, E. R.
Davidson, J. Mol. Catal.
A 2006, 251, 24; c) Ref. [4a];
d) Ref. [4b] has an alternative view.
ꢀ
[8] a) Activation and Functionalization of C H Bonds (Eds.: K. I.
Goldberg, A. S. Goldman), American Chemical Society, Oxford
University Press, Washington, DC, 2004; b) R. A. Periana, O.
Mironov, D. J. Taube, G. Bhalla, C. J. Jones, Science 2003, 301,
814; c) B. A. Arndtsen, R. G. Bergman, T. A. Mobley, T. H.
Peterson, Acc. Chem. Res. 1995. 28, 154; d) J. S. Owen, J. A.
Labinger, J. E. Bercaw, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 2005.
[9] a) A. Tenaglia, E. Terranova, B. Waegell, J. Org. Chem. 1992, 57,
5523; b) A. Tenaglia, E. Terranova, B. Waegell, J. Chem. Soc.
Chem. Commun. 1990, 1344; c) A. Tenaglia, E. Terranova, B.
Waegell, Tetrahedron Lett. 1989, 30, 5271; d) J. M. Bakke, A. E.
Froehaug, J. Phys. Org. Chem. 1996, 9, 507; e) J. M. Bakke, A. E.
Froehaug, J. Phys. Org. Chem. 1996, 9, 310.
[10] A. Dehestani, W. H. Lam, D. A. Hrovat, E. R. Davidson, W. T.
Borden, J. M. Mayer, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 3423.
[11] B. C. Bales, P. Brown, A. Dehestani, J. M. Mayer, J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 2005, 127, 2832.
[12] Methane concentration calculated using: IUPAC Solubility Data
Series: Methane (Eds.: H. L. Clever, C. L. Young), Pergamon,
Oxford, 1987.
7436
www.angewandte.org
ꢀ 2006 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 7433 –7436