Room-Temperature Conversion of Methane to Methanediol by [FeO 2 ] .

Inspired by the activities of P-450 enzyme and Rieske oxygenases in nature, in which the high-valent Fe-oxo complexes play a key role for oxidation of alkanes, the oxidation process of methane by the high-valent iron oxide cation [FeO 2 ] + has been explored by using Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry complemented by high-level quantum chemical calculations. In contrast to the previously reported [FeO] + /CH 4 and [Fe(O)OH] + /CH 4 systems, which afford [FeOH] + as the main product, the generation of Fe + dominates the reaction of [FeO 2 ] + with CH 4 . Theoretical calculations suggest a novel "oxygen rebound" pathway for the liberation of methanediol. In particular, the inevitable valence increase of Fe prior to C-H activation is similar to the cytochrome P-450 mediated processes. To our best knowledge, this study provides the first example of methane activation by the high-valent Fe(V)-oxo species in the gas phase, which may thus bridge the gas-phase model and the condensed-phase biosystems.