Activation of the C–H bond by metal complexes

Reactions involving the cleavage of C–H bonds by metal complexes in saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons and also in other compounds are examined. Some of these processes occur with formation of a carbon–metal bond, whilst in others the interaction of the complexes with the hydrocarbon takes place without direct contact between the metal atom and the C–H bonds. Metal compounds are widely used as initiators of the liquid-phase oxidation of hydrocarbons at relatively low temperatures. There is a prospect of creating new technologies for the chemical processing of petroleum and gas hydrocarbons, whereby they can be converted into valuable products, for example, into alcohols, ketones, and carboxylic acids, on the basis of processes involving metal complexes. The study of the metal complex activation of the C–H bond also makes it possible to understand and model the metalloenzyme-catalysed hydrocarbon oxidation reactions in the living cell.
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