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Updated: Oct 8, 2025

Light-driven Enzymatic Decarboxylation
Published on: May 22, 2016
Aerobic Partial Oxidation of Alkanes Using Photodriven Iron Catalysis
Nathan Coutard1, Jonathan M Goldberg2, Henry U Valle2
1Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States.
Abstract:
Photodriven oxidations of alkanes in trifluoroacetic acid using commercial and synthesized Fe(III) sources as catalyst precursors and dioxygen (O2) as the terminal oxidant are reported. The reactions produce alkyl esters and occur at ambient temperature in the presence of air, and catalytic turnover is observed for the oxidation of methane in a pure O2 atmosphere. Under optimized conditions, approximately 17% conversion of methane to methyl trifluoroacetate at more than 50% selectivity is observed. It is demonstrated that methyl trifluoroacetate is stable under catalytic conditions, and thus overoxidized products are not formed through secondary oxidation of methyl trifluoroacetate.
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