Activation of Nitrous Oxide and Selective Oxidation of Alcohols and Alkylarenes Catalyzed by the [PV 2 Mo 10 O 40 ] 5− Polyoxometalate Ion

A vanadium‐substituted polyoxomolybdate ion ([PV 2 Mo 10 O 40 ] 5− , top right) can activate nitrous oxide to promote the highly selective catalytic oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols to aldehydes and ketones, and the oxidation of various alkylaromatic substrates (see scheme).