Homogeneous catalytic oxidation of light alkanes: C-C bond cleavage under mild conditions

The combined oxidation of CO and C2–C4 alkanes (associated petroleum gas and natural gas components) under the action of oxygen in trifluoroacetic acid solutions in the presence of rhodium and copper chlorides was accompanied by the oxidative degradation of C-C bonds in a hydrocarbon chain with the formation of carbonyl compounds, alcohols, and esters. For butane and isobutane, the reaction path with C-C bond cleavage was predominant. The buildup curves of isobutane oxidation products (both with the retention and with the degradation of the chain) were S-shaped and characterized by the same induction period; they did not pass through a maximum. A reaction scheme was proposed to reflect the main special features of the mechanism of transformations occurring in the O2/Rh/Cu/Cl− oxidation system.