Recent advancements in catalytic peroxidation of alkenes: Synthetic approach and process optimization

Di-functionalization of alkene is a compelling area of synthetic interest due to their natural prevalence and significant antimalarial and antimicrobial activities. Nevertheless, chemoselective and regioselective peroxidation of alkenes employing various peroxy reagents is a distinct challenge and equivalent amounts of wastes are generated leading to formation of unwanted by-products and require harsh reaction conditions. On contrary, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) associated with relatively high stability of reagent, risk minimization of overly reactive agents, and wide scope of reactions without extreme reactivity. For the first time we have highlighted the recent reports in the catalytic synthesis of acyclic peroxides using TBHP, particularly studied over the period of last 10 years. Also, we have incorporated the insight of metal catalysts and illustrated the reaction mechanism for catalytic peroxidation of various alkenes. The catalytic performance and optimization of reaction parameters are also elucidated.