SELECTIVE SYNTHESIS OF OXIMES WITH PRIMARY ALIPHATIC-AMINES AND HYDROGEN-PEROXIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF CATALYTIC QUANTITIES OF TITANIUM SILICALITE MOLECULAR-SIEVES

Primary aliphatic amines with alpha-hydrogen atoms are oxidized in the presence of hydrogen peroxide as oxidant and catalytic quantities of titanium silicalite molecular sieves to give the corresponding oximes as the main products; the latter are formed with good substrate selectivity and peroxide efficiency. Since the substrate dimensions allow an intracrystalline reaction, by-products, which become significant for larger substrates, are determined by steric constraints in the intracrystalline voids rather than by reaction of electrophilic oxygen with carbon of increased nucleophilicity.