A new vanadium Schiff base complex as catalyst for oxidation of alcohols.

The monoanionic bidentate Schiff base, N-(phenolyl)-benzaldimine (HL), has been employed to synthesize a new vanadium(IV) complex of general composition [VO(L)2] (where L = O, N donor of Schiff base). The ligand and complex have been fully characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductance data, FT-IR, 1H- and 13C-NMR, and UV-Vis spectroscopies. Oxidation of alcohols to their corresponding aldehydes and ketones was conducted by this complex catalyst using Oxone as oxidant under biphasic reaction conditions (CH2Cl2/H2O) and tetra-n-butylammonium bromide as phase transfer agent under air at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]