Oxidative esterification of alcohols by a single-side organically decorated Anderson-type chrome-based catalyst

The direct esterification of alcohols with non-noble metal-based catalytic systems faces great challenges. Here, we report a new chrome-based catalyst stabilized by a single pentaerythritol decorated Anderson-type polyoxometalate, [N(C 4 H 9 ) 4 ] 3 [CrMo 6 O 18 (OH) 3 C{(OCH 2 ) 3 CH 2 OH}], which can realize the efficient transformation from alcohols to esters by H 2 O 2 oxidation in good yields and high selectivity without extra organic ligands. A variety of alcohols with different functionalities including some natural products and pharmaceutical intermediates are tolerated in this system. The chrome-based catalyst can be recycled several times and still keep the original configuration and catalytic activity. We also propose a reasonable catalytic mechanism and prove the potential for industrial applications. An efficient strategy was reported for oxidative esterification reaction by a single-side organic decorated Anderson-type chrome-based catalyst in high yield. The Cr III Mo 6 -OH could be simply recycled many times and maintain high catalytic activity.