Electrochemical olefin epoxidation employing an iron(IV)porphyrin/trisbipyridineruthenium(III) polymer catalyst

A porphyrin molecule containing four meso-appended 2,2'-bipyridyl ligands has been prepared. Each bipyridine is attached to the porphyrin core at the 4-position (pseudo-para to one of the pyridine nitrogens). Subsequently, each of the four bipyridines was complexed with a RuL2(2+) moiety and iron coordinated in the porphyrin core. When L = 4-vinyl-4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridine, reduction of the ruthenium centers resulted in the formation of robust electroactive polymer films which deposited on the electrode surface. In the presence of aqueous acid, these films electrocatalytically epoxidize cyclohexene at positive potentials from the formal iron(IV) oxidation state. Although product analysis has only been conducted for cyclohexene, the catalytic activity extends to a large variety of olefins including ethylene and propylene.