A synthetically useful catalytic system for aliphatic C-H oxidation with a nonheme cobalt complex and m -CPBA.

We report herein a synthetically useful catalytic system for aliphatic C-H oxidation with a mononuclear nonheme cobalt(II) complex and m -chloroperbenzoic acid ( m -CPBA). Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that a high-valent cobalt-oxygen species ( e.g. , cobalt(IV)-oxo or cobalt(III)-oxyl) is the oxidant that effects C-H oxidation via a rate-determining hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) step.