Bridged phthalocyanine- and napththalocyanine-metal complex catalysts for oxidation reactions

A method of oxidation, comprising:

• contacting an oxidizable starting material comprising an alkene with a catalyst and an oxidant, to provide an oxidized product;
• wherein the catalyst has the structure
• wherein
• M is a metal,
• axial ligand L is a solvent molecule,
• at each occurrence, RA and RB are independently chosen from —H, halide, an organic group, and a hydrophilic group, or RA and RB together form a fused aromatic ring with the ring upon which RA and RB are substituted, RA and RB together having the structure:
• and
• at each occurrence, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6 are each independently chosen from —H, halide, an organic group, and a hydrophilic group.