Alcohol Oxidations by Schiff Base Manganese(III) Complexes

Asymmetric Schiff base manganese(III) complexes involving salen ligands, N,N'-bis(salicylidene)2,3-diaminopyridine, N,N'-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)2,3-diaminopyridine, N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)2,3-diaminopyridine and N,N'-bis(3,5-di-chloro-salicylidene)2,3-diaminopyridine were prepared and their catalytic activity was investigated in the oxidation of some primary and secondary alcohols. During optimization of oxidation reactions, Mn-4, bearing electron withdrawing N,N'-Bis(3,5-di-chloro-salicylidene)2,3-diaminopyridine ligand, showed higher activity than other catalysts tested. The catalytic reactions were carried out in the presence of various oxidants such as oxygen, hydrogen peroxide or tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) and additives such as acetic acid and imidazole. The oxidant/additive combination of TBHP and imidazole was shown to be effective for the oxidation process and the degree of their impact on oxidation reaction was found highly dependent on a balanced ratio between them. Mn-4 was selected as the most effective catalyst under optimized reaction conditions and revealed efficient for the oxidation of secondary alcohols.