Rhenium-containing compound(PyHReO4): synthesis, characterization and catalytic application in olefin epoxidation and baeyer-villiger oxidation

A novel compound based on catalytic functional metal rhenium, pyridinium perrhenate(PyHReO4) was synthesized and characterized. The pyridinium perrhenate was used as catalyst in two types of reactions. One is the epoxidation of cyclooctene, the other is the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclic ketones to lactones. The effects of catalyst, oxidant, solvent, reaction time and temperature were investigated, which confirmed the optimum reaction conditions of the catalyst system. Both types of catalytic reactions exhibit high yields and high selectivity.