10.1002/adsc.201000455
The research aimed to develop a mild and efficient catalytic oxidation system for the transformation of alkenes into various functional molecules, such as epoxides, aldehydes, and 1,2-diols. The study utilized a ruthenium porphyrin complex, dichlororuthenium(IV) meso-tetrakis(2,6-dichlorophenyl)porphyrin [Ru(IV)(TDCPP)Cl2], as a catalyst and 2,6-dichloropyridine N-oxide (Cl2pyNO) as the oxidant. The innovative aspect of this research was the ability to control the reaction pathway and product distribution by adjusting the oxidant loading, which allowed for the selective formation of aldehydes, epoxides, or 1,2-diols in moderate to excellent yields. This approach represents an advancement in the field of alkene dihydroxylation, as it provides a single catalytic system capable of producing three different types of compounds through "one-pot" cascade reactions, overcoming the limitations of previous methods that relied on more toxic and expensive catalysts like OsO4.