A Highly Efficient Iron(Ii) Catalyst For The Epoxidation Of Olefins With M-Chloroperoxybenzoic Acid

An iron (II) complex with oxazoline and pyrrole functional groups was prepared and used to catalyze the epoxidation of alkenes by m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid. The iron (II) complex exhibited good catalytic activity for the epoxidation of aromatic terminal alkenes and cyclic alkene in acetonitrile. The 99.7 % conversion of styrene with 91.2 % selectivity of styrene oxide was achieved after reaction 30 minutes at 25 degrees C. The auxiliary ligands, solvents and oxidants are sensitive to the epoxidation reaction. A possible catalytic mechanism for epoxidation of alkene was proposed.