Chapter 12: Iron Oxides and Simple Iron Salt-based Catalysis

The use of iron in catalysis is wide ranging. Iron catalysts are used for both large-scale fuel and platform chemical production as well as for complex synthetic organic transformations. Throughout the last century, iron catalysis has played a pivotal role in the progression of science and technology. The high abundance, low cost and low toxicity of iron oxides and salts makes their use in synthesis and catalysis highly sustainable. Owing to these traits, the field of iron catalysis is rapidly growing, and a suite of organic transformations have become available. This chapter provides a broad overview of the fundamental uses of iron oxides and simple iron salts in modern catalysis, including the most relevant and sustainable examples.