Advances in selectively aerobic oxidation of vicinal diols catalyzed by heterogeneous transition metal catalysts
Selectively oxidative cleavage of vicinal diols to generate corresponding aldehydes,ketones and carboxylic acids is an important and basic organic reaction,in which stoichiometric periodate or lead tetraacetate are usually employed as oxidants.Obviously,these traditional protocols are contrary to the development concept of green chemical industry in views of both economic and environmental standards.In principle,water is the only by-product in the selective oxidation cleavage of vicinal diols when molecular oxygen,cheap and readily available,is used as oxidant,leading to the dual advantages of environmental friendliness and economic feasibility.Therefore,a number of heterogeneous catalysts or catalytic systems with different transition metals as active components have been developed for such reaction after unremitting exploration,which provides groundwork for widespread application in the future.Herein,the advances of these catalysts and reaction processes by classifications of precious and non-precious metals were summarized,and the development direction in this field was pointed out.