Improved Catalytic Performance for the Selective Oxidation of sp ³ C─H Bonds to Carbonyls Over Mesoporous MnO _x Catalyst Derived from MOFs by Controlled Calcination

Abstract The direct and selective oxidation of sp 3 C─H bonds to carbonyl compounds is the simple and efficient strategy which has attracted more attention in recent years. Herein, mesoporous MnO x (mMnO x ) synthesized by controlled calcination of the Mn‐BDC MOF precursor was employed as a heterogeneous catalyst for the selective sp 3 C─H bonds oxidation to carbonyls. The mMnO x catalyst exhibits excellent activity and stability for oxidizing alkylarenes and allyl compounds to corresponding ketones in water. The characterization results demonstrate that the superior catalytic performance of mMnO x could be attributed to the higher surface area and abundant oxygen vacancies of the material. In addition, the possible mechanism for sp 3 C─H bonds oxidation over mMnO x catalyst was involved in a free radical process. Furthermore, mMnO x catalyst still exhibits the excellent catalytic performance even after six recycles. This catalytic system provides an alternative approach for the efficient synthesis of carbonyl compounds.