Metal-catalysed hydrocarbon oxidations

This brief review describes recent findings by the author and his co-workers in the field of catalytic systems for the oxidation of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons with molecular oxygen (from air), hydrogen peroxide and some other compounds. These systems are based on metal complexes as catalysts and often include obligatory co-catalysts, such as amino acids, nitrogen-containing bases or weak carboxylic acids. Some of these reactions can be considered as biomimetic models of corresponding oxidation processes occurring in living cells. In some cases, aerobic oxidations considered here occur in some cases under the action of light. Some features of these reactions and their mechanisms are presented and discussed.