Direct synthesis of Fe(III) immobilized Zr‐based metal–organic framework for aerobic oxidation reaction

Abstract

A Zr‐based metal–organic framework with bipyridine units (UiO‐67) has been utilized for the immobilization of catalytically active iron species via a post‐synthetic metalation method. UiO‐67 bipyridine MOF was synthesized through a simple solvothermal method and was shown to have a UiO‐type structure. Post‐synthetic metalation of UiO‐67 MOF was performed for the immobilization of the catalytically active FeCl3. FT‐IR and EDX element map suggested that FeCl3 is coordinately bonded to the UiO‐67 bipyridine framework. The synthesized UiO‐67‐FeCl3 catalyst was used for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols and benzylic compounds in the presence of molecular oxygen. In addition, the UiO‐67‐FeCl3 catalyst can be reused as a solid heterogeneous catalyst without compromising its activity and selectivity.