Z. Naturforsch. 2013,
68b, 891 – 894
doi:10.5560/ZNB.2013-3104
Photooxidation of Methane to Methanol by Perrhenate in Water under Ambient Conditions
Horst
Kunkely and
Arnd
Vogler
Institut für Anorganische Chemie, Universität Regensburg, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
Received April 3, 2013 / published online July 25, 2013
The oxidation of methane to methanol takes place selectively by the photolysis of perrhenate in aqueous solution in the presence of methane. This photoreaction is formally an oxygen atom transfer. Because the reoxidation of the reduced perrhenate is accomplished with hydrogen peroxide the overall process can be viewed as photocatalytic oxidation of methane to methanol: CH4 + H2O2 → CH3OH + H2O.
Key words: Rhenium Complexes, Photochemistry, Methane, Catalysis