Oxidative Cleavage of Olefins into Carboxylic Acids with Hydrogen Peroxide by Tungstic Acid.

A facile conversion of olefins into carboxylic acids could be achieved by using aqueous hydrogen peroxide (35%-H2O2) in the presence of catalytic amounts of tungstic acid (5 wt%). The oxidation was markedly influenced by the acidity of the reaction medium, and it was found to proceed favorably under a weak acidic condition (pH 4–5).