Aerobic Oxidation of Primary Alcohols by a New Mononuclear CuII-Radical Catalyst

Abstract

Primary alcohols such as ethanol or benzyl alcohol are selectively and catalytically oxidized by the mononuclear copper(II) radical complex 1—a functional model of the metalloenzyme galactose oxidase—with oxygen from air at 20°C to give the corresponding aldehydes and H₂O₂ in about 60 % yield.