Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
The Co(III) form of cobalt-substituted aluminophosphate molecular sieves, Co(III)-APOs, was found to be a selective oxidant for a variety of organic and inorganic compounds. At relatively low temperatures (20 to 100°C), alcohols are converted to aldehydes and ketones, benzene becomes a dimer radical cation, amines are transformed to imines, and NO is oxidized to NO+. There is also evidence that Co(III)APOs activate the C-H bonds of methane at higher temperatures (400–500°C). Accompanying all these reactions is a clearly observable change of color from the yellow of the Co(III) form to the blue of the Co(II) form.