Metalloporphyrin-catalysed direct functionalization of saturated C H bonds is one among the topical and challenging areas within the chemical industry. In this work, three types of unsupported and boehmite supported trans-A(2)B(2)-metalloporphyrin chloride complexes (Co-D(p-Cl)PPCl, Fe-D(p-Cl)PPCl, Mn-D(p-Cl)PPCl) were prepared and characterized. It has been found that these trans-A(2)B(2)-metalloporphyrins have high catalytic activity in cyclohexane oxidation under dioxygen. The boehmite supported metalloporphyrins show better catalytic performance and are more stable than unsupported metalloporphyrins. Among these supported metalloporphyrin catalysts, Co-D(p-Cl)PPCl/BM was better than Fe-D(p-Cl)PPCl/BM and Mn-D(p-CI)PPCl/BM, the cyclohexane conversion and selectivity to KA oil are 6.83% and 83.30%, respectively, and the turnover number is 1.05 Chi 10(7). The Co-D(p-Cl)PPCl/BM catalyst can be facilely recovered and was recycled up to six times without significant decrease in catalytic performance. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.