Efficient selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes catalyzed by a morpholinone nitroxide

Abstract

Efficient chemoselective oxidation of primary alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes is described. The transformation is promoted by a catalytic morpholinone nitroxide radical catalyst which can be easily synthesized. A broad range of substrates including aromatic and aliphatic primary alcohols are converted with excellent yields under mild conditions. The control experiments reveal that the morpholinone nitroxide can be used as a selective oxidant for primary alcohols in the presence of secondary alcohols.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Aaldehyde
• nitroxide
• oxidation
• primary alcohol
• TEMPO analog

Additional information

Funding

This work was generously supported by the Colleges and Universities Key Research Program Foundation of Henan Province [No. 17A150007], Doctor Fund of Henan University of Technology [No. 2015BS013].