Identifying the true catalyst : a Mn(II) salt versus Mn(II) complexes in epoxidation with m-chloroperbenzoic acid

Savić, Milica (author), Mitrović, Aleksandra (author), Čobeljić, Božidar R. (author), Pevec, Andrej (author), Zlatar, Matija (author), Gruden-Pavlović, Maja (author), Browne, Wesley R. (author), Di Berto Mancini, Marika (author)

The oxidant meta-chloroperbenzoic acid (m-CPBA) is used widely for the epoxidation of alkenes, yet its efficiency is often limited under ambient conditions. This study investigates the catalytic activity of a Mn(II) salt and mononuclear Mn(II) complexes, two of which are reported here for the first time, in the epoxidation of alkenes with m-CPBA under ambient conditions. Time-resolved Raman spectroscopy is used to monitor substrate conversion, oxidant consumption, and product formation. The data reveal that simple Mn(II) salts exhibit significantly higher catalytic activity than Mn(II) complexes, indicating that ligand coordination inhibits the reactivity of the manganese center. The catalytic efficiency of Mn(II) perchlorate is particularly notable, achieving near-complete oxidation of styrene within minutes under mild conditions. Furthermore, epoxidation of a range of alkenes demonstrates that Mn(II) salts provide broad substrate scope and high selectivity. These findings suggest that simple Mn(II) salts can serve as highly efficient and cost-effective catalysts in alkene epoxidations with m-CPBA.

• Language: English
• Keywords: catalysis, epoxidations, manganese, perbenzoic acid, Raman spectroscopy
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 19.08.2025
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 9 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 28, iss. 30, art. e202500432
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-174627
• UDC: 546.712:544.47
• ISSN on article: 1434-193X
• DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202500432
• COBISS.SI-ID: 251610371
• Publication date in RUL: 08.10.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: European journal of organic chemistry
• Publisher: Wiley, Chemistry Europe
• ISSN: 1434-193X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 18135045

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: kataliza, epoksidacije, mangan, peroksibenzojska kislina, Ramanska spektroskopija