Heterogenous Epoxidation of Isobutene Selectively Enabled by MoSe2 in Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP)

Herein, a high selective epoxidation of isobutene was achieved by heterogeneously dispersed MoSe2with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), which further showed versatile substrate scopes and well-retained activity among recycling tests. A rational mechanism is proposed based on extensive control experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, surprisingly unveiling the metal–oxo and radical mediated pathways dramatically accelerated by hydrogen bonds of hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP).