INTRODUCTION OF FUNCTIONALITY INTO UNACTIVATED CARBON-HYDROGEN BONDS - CATALYTIC GENERATION AND NONCONVENTIONAL UTILIZATION OF ORGANIC RADICALS

Alkanes and other unactivated C-H bond substrates can be catalytically transformed by an emerging class of versatile inorganic clusters called polyoxometalates under economically and environmentally attractive conditions. ''Catalytic'' radical generation and redox trapping of alkyl radicals by polyoxometalates in controlled sequences affords routes for the dehydrogenation, alkylation, vinylation, carbonylation and acylation of alkanes.