Alkane oxidative cleavage

Abstract This chapter covers oxidation of C-H and C-C bonds in alkanes. Section 4.1 concerns oxidation of C-H bonds aldehydes and other CH species (4.1.1), methylene (-CH groups) (4.1.2) and methyl (-CH ) groups (4.1.3). This is followed by the oxidation of cyclic alkanes (4.1.4) and large-scale alkane oxidations (4.1.5). Alkane oxidations not considered here but covered in Chapter 1 are hsted in Section 4.1.6. The final section (4.2) concerns oxidative cleavage of C-C bonds. 

There are several reviews on alkane oxidation by Ru complexes (principally by RuO ) including [1-6]. Most of the oxidations catalysed are of C-H bonds C-C cleavage is considered in 4.2. We begin with what in principle is the simplest oxidation, that of the C-H bond in aldehydes and related substrates. 

Oxidative cleavage oi ar alkene with KMn04 gives a carboxylic acid if the alkane has at least one vinylic hydrogen (Section 7 8). 

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