Oxidation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons with Mono-Oxygen Donors Catalysed by Triaryl-Manganese(III) Corroles

The oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with mono-oxygen donors such as iodosylbenzene, hydrogen peroxide and tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of selected 5,10,15-triarylmanganese( III) corroles as catalysts were examined under different reaction conditions. The effect of reaction conditions on triaryl-manganese(III) corroles catalysts and oxidants is discussed. It was observed that in a solvent system consisting of a mixture of dichloromethane and acetonitrile, the oxidation of anthracene with tertbutyl hydroperoxide catalysed by tri(aryl)manganese(III)corroles worked better than with hydrogen peroxide or iodosylbenzene as the oxidants. The oxidation of anthracene with hydroxo-manganese(IV)corroles was also examined in organic solvents under mild conditions. UV-Vis and other spectroscopic data were used to determine the oxidative mechanism for the oxidation of anthracene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with mono-oxygen donors catalysed by triaryl-manganese(III)corroles.