Selective synthesis of cyclic alcohols from cycloalkanes using nickel(ii) complexes of tetradentate amidate ligands.

Selective functionalisation of hydrocarbons using transition metal complexes has evoked significant research interest in industrial chemistry. However, selective oxidation of unactivated aliphatic C-H bonds is challenging because of the high bond dissociation energies. Herein, we report the synthesis, characterisation and catalytic activity of nickel(ii) complexes ([Ni(L1-L3)(OH)](ClO) (1-3)) of monoamidate tetradentate ligands [L1: 2-(bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)--phenylacetamide, L2: 2-(bis(2-pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)--(naphthalen-1-yl)acetamide, L3: -benzyl-2-(bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)acetamide] in selective oxidation of cycloalkanes using -CPBA as the oxidant.