Synergistic catalysis: cobalt-catalyzed cascade reaction for the oxidative cleavage of olefins to access esters.

An efficient strategy for the oxidative cleavage of C ＝ C bonds in olefins to form esters with one or multiple carbon atoms less over heterogeneous cobalt/nitrogen-doped carbon catalyst with dioxygen as the oxidant was described. The protocol features a wide substrate range including the challenging inactive aliphatic and long-chain alkyl aryl olefins. The reactivity of the catalyst did not decrease after reused for seven times. Characterization and control experiments reveal that synergistic effects between the metallic Co nanoparticles and Co – Nx sites provide access to the excellent catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]