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A novel and general biomimetic non-heme Fe-catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation of aromatic alkenes by using hydrogen peroxide is reported herein. The catalyst consists of ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl(3)6 H(2)O), pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (H(2)(pydic)), and readily accessible chiral N-arenesulfonyl-N'-benzyl-substituted ethylenediamine ligands. The asymmetric epoxidation of styrenes with this system gave high conversions but poor enantiomeric excesses (ee), whereas larger alkenes gave high conversions and ee values. For the epoxidation of trans-stilbene (1 a), the ligands (S,S)-N-(4-toluenesulfonyl)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine ((S,S)-4 a) and its N'-benzylated derivative ((S,S)-5 a) gave opposite enantiomers of trans-stilbene oxide, that is, (S,S)-2 a and (R,R)-2 a, respectively. The enantioselectivity of alkene epoxidation is controlled by steric and electronic factors, although steric effects are more dominant. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest the in situ formation of several chiral Fe-complexes, such as [FeCl(L*)(2)(pydic)]HCl (L*=(S,S)-4 a or (S,S)-5 a in the catalyst mixture), which were identified by ESIMS. A UV/Vis study of the catalyst mixture, which consisted of FeCl(3)6 H(2)O, H(2)(pydic), and (S,S)-4 a, suggested the formation of a new species with an absorbance peak at lambda=465 nm upon treatment with hydrogen peroxide. With the aid of two independent spin traps, we could confirm by EPR spectroscopy that the reaction proceeds via radical intermediates. Kinetic studies with deuterated styrenes showed inverse secondary kinetic isotope effects, with values of k(H)/k(D)=0.93 for the beta carbon and k(H)/k(D)=0.97 for the alpha carbon, which suggested an unsymmetrical transition state with stepwise O transfer. Competitive epoxidation of para-substituted styrenes revealed a linear dual-parameter Hammett plot with a slope of 1.00. Under standard conditions, epoxidation of 1 a in the presence of ten equivalents of H(2) (18)O resulted in an absence of the isotopic label in (S,S)-2 a. A positive nonlinear effect was observed during the epoxidation of 1 a in the presence of (S,S)-5 a and (R,R)-5 a.

Primary and secondary alcohols with benzylically and allylically activated C-H bonds are chemoselectively oxidized to the corresponding carbonyl compounds by the (salen)Cr(III) complex I as the catalyst and iodosobenzene as the oxygen source; the oxidizing species is the Cr(V) oxo complex. Allylic alcohols with fully substituted double bonds give appreciable amounts of epoxides besides the C-H oxidation products enones, while saturated alcohols are less readily oxidized.

The state-of-the-art in the non-enzymatic iron-catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation of C=C double bonds is reviewed within the broader context of biomimetic oxidation catalysis. After introducing fundamental concepts of oxygen activation in nature and by man, historical landmarks, recent breakthroughs, scopes and limitations in relation to existing methodologies and their impact on future directions are assessed, focusing mainly on progress made in the last five years.