ABSTRACT
The reactions of hydrogen peroxide with vanadate have been of interest for many years. Much of the early work was concerned with the function of peroxovanadates as oxygen transfer agents. Alkenes and similar compounds such as allyl alcohols can be hydroxylated or epoxidized. Even alkanes can be hydroxylated, whereas alcohols can be oxidized to aldehydes or ketones and thiols oxidized to sulphones or sulphoxides. Aromatic molecules, including benzene, can be hydroxylated. The rich chemistry associated with the peroxovanadates has, therefore, led to extensive studies of their reaction chemistry. To this end, x-ray diffraction studies have successfully provided details of a number of peroxovanadate structures.
