Efficient and selective hydrocarbon oxidation with sodium periodate catalyzed by supported manganese(III) porphyrin

Manganese(III) tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin was successfully bound to silica modified with zirconium. The heterogeneous catalyst, MnTPPS-silica, was characterized by SEM, FT-IR and diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectroscopic techniques. MnTPPS-silica catalyzes alkene epoxidation and alkanes hydroxylation with sodium periodate under agitation with magnetic stirring and ultrasonic irradiation in the presence of imidazole as an axial ligand. This catalytic system shows a good activity in the epoxidation of linear alkenes. Alkyl aromatic and cycloalkanes were efficiently oxidized to their corresponding alcohols and ketones in the presence of this catalyst. This new heterogeneous catalyst is of high stability and reusability in the oxidation reactions and can be reused several times without loss of its activity.