Nitration of alkanes with nitric acid by vanadium-substituted polyoxometalates

The nitration of alkanes by using nitric acid as a nitrating agent in acetic acid was efficiently promoted by vanadium-substituted Keggin-type phosphomolybdates such as [H4PVMo11O40], [H5PV2Mo10O40], and [H6PV3Mo9O40] as catalyst precursors. A variety of alkanes including alkylbenzenes were nitrated to the corresponding nitroalkanes as major products in moderate yields with formation of oxygenated products under mild reaction conditions. The carbon--carbon bond cleavage reactions hardly proceeded. ESR, NMR, and IR spectroscopic data show that the vanadium-substituted polyoxometalate, for example, [H4PVMo11O40], decomposes to form free vanadium species and [PMo12O40](3-) Keggin anion. The reaction mechanism involving a radical-chain path is proposed. The polyoxometalates initially abstract the hydrogen of the alkane to form the alkyl radical and the reduced polyoxometalates. The reduced polyoxometalates subsequently react with nitric acid to produce the oxidized form and nitrogen dioxide. This step would be promoted mainly by the phosphomolybdates, [PMo12O40](n-), and the vanadium cations efficiently enhance the activity. The nitrogen dioxide promotes the further formation of nitrogen dioxide and an alkyl radical. The alkyl radical is trapped by nitrogen dioxide to form the corresponding nitroalkane.