Intramolecular arene hydroxylation versus intermolecular olefin epoxidation by (mu-eta2:eta2-peroxo)dicopper(II) complex supported by dinucleating ligand.

A discrete (mu-eta2:eta2-peroxo)Cu(II)2 complex, [Cu2(O2)(H-L)]2+, is capable of performing not only intramolecular hydroxylation of a m-xylyl linker of a dinucleating ligand but also intermolecular epoxidation of styrene via electrophilic reaction to the C=C bond and hydroxylation of THF by H-atom abstraction.