An Example of Lipophiloselectivity: The Preferred Oxidation,
in Water, of Hydrophobic 2-Alkanols Catalyzed by a
Cross-Linked Polyethyleneimine−Polyoxometalate Catalyst
Assembly
posted on 2006-12-13, 00:00authored byAdina Haimov, Ronny Neumann
A cross-linked polyethyleneimine polymer containing the [ZnWZn2(H2O)2(ZnW9O34)2]12- polyoxometalate was prepared from branched polyethyleneimine (Mw = 600), the polyoxometalate, and a
n-octylamine-epichlorohydrin cross-linking reagent. This catalytic assembly was active for the selective
oxidation of 2-alkanols to 2-alkanones with aqueous H2O2 with reactions presumably occurring at a
hydrophobic domain. Most importantly, the catalyst showed distinctive lipophiloselectivity, that is selectivity
as a function of the lipophilic nature of a reaction substrate. The lipophiloselectivity was proportional to the
relative partition coefficient (1-octanol/water) of the substrates.