Osmium compounds as catalysts of alkene oxidation

The catalytic activity of trinuclear osmium clusters (μ-H) 2 Os 3 (CO) 10 , (μ-H)Os 3 (CO) 10 (μ-OH), (μ-H)Os 3 (CO) 9 (PPh 3 )(μ-OH), (μ-H)Os 3 (CO) 10 {μ-O=CNHC(CH 3 )CO 2 BU-t)}, and Os 3 (CO) 12 is studied in alkene oxidation reactions. Oxidants were oxygen donors, such as H 2 O 2 , ten-BuOOH, and N-methylmorpholine N-oxide. Osmium clusters are found to catalyze syn-hydroxylation at low temperatures and the oxidative destruction of alkenes at room temperature. Osmium tetroxide is an active catalytic species, which is formed by the destruction of clusters in the oxidative medium.