From Surface-Inspired Oxovanadium Silsesquioxane Models to Active Catalysts for the Oxidation of Alcohols with O-2-The Cinnamic Acid/Metavanadate System

Silsesquioxane dioxovanadate(V) complexes were investigated with respect to their potential as a catalyst for the oxidative dehydrogenation of alcohols with O-2 as an oxidant. The turnover frequencies determined were comparatively low, but during the oxidation of cinnamic alcohol an increase in activity was observed in the course of the process, which was inspected more closely. It turned out that during the oxidation of cinnamic alcohol, not only was the aldehyde formed but also cinnamic acid, which in turn reacts with the silsesquioxane complex employed to give NBu4-[O2V(O2CC2H2Ph)(2)], which can also be obtained from NBu4VO3 and cinnamic acid and represents a far more active catalyst, not only for cinnamic alcohol but also for other activated alcohols and hydrocarbons. The rate-determining step of the conversion corresponds to an hydrogen-atom abstraction from the C H units, as shown by the determination of the kinetic isotope effect in case of 9-hydroxyfluorene, and the reoxidation of the reduced catalyst proceeds via a peroxo intermediate, which is also capable of oxidizing one alcohol equivalent. Furthermore the influence of the organic residues at the carboxylate ligands on the catalyst performance was investigated, which showed that the activity increases with decreasing pK(s) value. Moreover, it was found that during the oxidation the catalyst slowly decomposes, but can be regenerated by addition of excessive carboxylic acid.