Catalytic alcohol oxidation using cationic Schiff base manganeseIII complexes with flexible diamino bridge

Four Schiff base manganese(III) complexes with derivatives of [(R,R)-N,N’-bis(salicy1idene)-1,2-cyclohexanediaminato)] including substituents on salicylaldehyde such as 3-methoxy, 3,5-di-tert-butyl and 3,5-chloro were synthesized and characterized using a combination of IR, UV–Vis, and HR ESI-MS techniques. The catalytic activity of these complexes was tested in the oxidation of 1-phenylethanol to acetophenone, revealing very good performances for all of the four manganese complexes. The catalytic reactions were carried out in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant and imidazole as co-catalyst. Complex Mn-4, bearing electron withdrawing [(R,R)-N,N’-bis(3,5-di-chloro-salicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediaminato)] ligand was found to be the most stable of the tested Mn(III) complexes and was selected for the oxidation of several primary and secondary alcohols.