Efficient oxygenation of hydrocarbons with tetrabutylammonium monopersulfate catalyzed by manganese meso-tetraphenylporphyrin in the presence of imidazole

Oxidation of hydrocarbons, into their corresponding epoxide, alcohol and/or ketone, was achieved with tetrabutylammonium monopersulfate in the presence of manganese(III) meso-tetraphenylporphyrin catalyst and axial imidazole ligand in CH2Cl2 in low to very high yields (13–100%) and good to excellent selectivities (73–100%) in less than 5 min at room temperature (∼25°C).