Efficient catalytic direct C–H hydroxylation of benzene by graphite-supported μ-nitrido-bridged iron phthalocyanine dimer

Abstract

Hydroxylation of benzene directly into phenol without converting it into other compounds by using a metal complex-based oxidation catalyst is challenging because of the chemical stability of benzene. We demonstrated that a graphite-supported μ-nitrido-bridged iron phthalocyanine dimer, which acts as a potent iron–oxo-based molecular methane oxidation catalyst, can efficiently catalyze the direct benzene hydroxylation at 25 °C in an aqueous acetonitrile solution containing excess H₂O₂. It was confirmed that the catalytic benzene hydroxidation activity of the graphite-supported μ-nitrido-bridged iron phthalocyanine dimer was significantly higher than that of the silica gel-supported μ-nitrido-bridged iron phthalocyanine dimers.