Biomimetic C-H bond oxidation via non-heme supported iron catalyst

In this study, a novel non-heme iron(III) complex comprising proline and phenolic groups has been synthesized and immobilized on the surface of silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles to afford a recoverable and biomimetic catalyst inspiring from the Cytochrome P450. The prepared materials have been fully characterized using various physicochemical techniques, including HRTEM, SEM, FTIR, TGA, VSM, XPS, XRD, ICP, and EDX. The assynthesized iron(III) catalyst has been examined in the oxidation of the benzylic C-H bond to check the impact of coordination spheres on the reactivity and selectivity of this system. Interestingly, the catalyst showed high efficiency and selectivity in the C-H bond oxidation of various benzylic compounds under mild reaction conditions in the presence of TBHP as an oxidant to directly produce ketones or carboxylic acids. Additionally, the catalyst could be quickly recovered from the reaction mixture using an external magnet and preserved its activity and initial structure even after four times reusing. Furthermore, the hot-filtration test confirmed the heterogeneous nature of the system.