Direct photo-oxidation of methane to methanol over a mono-iron hydroxyl site

Natural gas, consisting mainly of methane (CH4), has a relatively low energy density at ambient conditions (~36 kJ l-1). Partial oxidation of CH4 to methanol (CH3OH) lifts the energy density to ~17 MJ l-1 and drives the production of numerous chemicals. In nature, this is achieved by methane monooxygenase with di-iron sites, which is extremely challenging to mimic in artificial systems due to the high dissociation energy of the C-H bond in CH4 (439 kJ mol-1) and facile over-oxidation of CH3OH to CO and CO2. Here we report the direct photo-oxidation of CH4 over mono-iron hydroxyl sites immobilized within a metal-organic framework, PMOF-RuFe(OH). Under ambient and flow conditions in the presence of H2O and O2, CH4 is converted to CH3OH with 100% selectivity and a time yield of 8.81 ± 0.34 mmol gcat-1 h-1 (versus 5.05 mmol gcat-1 h-1 for methane monooxygenase). By using operando spectroscopic and modelling techniques, we find that confined mono-iron hydroxyl sites bind CH4 by forming an [Fe-OH···CH4] intermediate, thus lowering the barrier for C-H bond activation. The confinement of mono-iron hydroxyl sites in a porous matrix demonstrates a strategy for C-H bond activation in CH4 to drive the direct photosynthesis of CH3OH.