Selective Oxidation of Methane to Methanol Catalyzed, with CH Activation, by Homogeneous, Cationic Gold

Cationic gold catalyzes the title reaction in strong acid solvents with SeVI as the stoichiometric oxidant. At 180 oC and 27 bar of CH4 turnover numbers of about 30 and methanol concentrations of 0.6 M have been observed with selectivities >90%. DFT calculations indicate that cationic AuI and AuIII are both viable catalysts that operate by electrophilic CH activation and oxidative functionalization (see picture).