Although alkanes are undoubtedly much less reactive than other organic compounds including unsaturated hydrocarbons, the number of known alkanes reactions is large. In this section we will briefly survey the main types of hydrocarbon transformations that occur without the participation of metal complexes. These reactions are presented for comparison to the metal complex activation reactions.

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Iron complexes in the ZSM-5 zeolite matrix (c~-centers) are shown to perform single-turnover cycles of methane oxidation to methanol at room temperature when nitrous oxide is used as a source of oxygen. The origin of carbon and oxygen in the product methanol was traced using ~3C and ~SO isotopes. Probable structure of c4-sites as well as mechanistic features of the reaction allow to consider this system as a first successful model of methane monooxygenase.

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The reactions of saturated hydrocarbons and compounds modelling them with metal complexes, leading to the cleavage of the C-H and C-C bonds, are examined. In particular, processes which result in the formation of organometallic derivatives are described and the mechanism of the oxidation of alkanes by enzymes and their chemical models is discussed. The bibliography includes 355 references.

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