Oxidation of cyclohexane with hydrogen peroxide catalysed by copper(II) complexes containing N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-β-alanineamide ligands

In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, a mononuclear copper(II) complex, [Cu(bdpg)Cl]Cl [where (bdpg) represents N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-β-alanine-amide] exhibits a much higher activity for the oxygenation of cyclohexane than other analogs. Crystal structure determinations and spectroscopic data indicate that the amide group in the (bdpg) ligand, which can interact with a hydroperoxide-ion η¹-bonded to copper(II) plays an important role in activation of hydrogen peroxide, leading to the facile oxygenation of cyclohexane.