Mn(III) is a powerful active site for catalytic oxidation of alkyl aromatics, but it can be only stabilized by macrocyclic chelating ligands such porphyrinates. Herein, by using benzobistriazolate as a rigid bridging ligand, a porous Mn(II) azolate framework with a nitrogen-rich coordinated environment similar to that of metalloporphyrins was synthesized, in which the Mn(II) ions can be post-oxidized to Mn(III) to achieve drastic increase of catalytic (aerobic) oxidation performance.
Keywords: aerobic oxidation; alkyl aromatics; heterogeneous catalysis; metal-organic framework; postsynthetic modifications.
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