Steel-promoted oxidation of olefins in supercritical carbon dioxide using dioxygen in the presence of aldehydes

Oxidation of olefins occurs effectively in supercritical carbon dioxide as the reaction medium with dioxygen as the primary oxidant and aldehydes as sacrificial co-oxidants. No catalyst is required, but the reaction is promoted by the stainless steel of the reactor walls. Depending on the substrate, vinylic oxidation or epoxidation can be the prevailing pathway. Epoxidation is particularly effective for substrates with internal double bonds and for long-chain terminal olefins.