Host (nanocavity of zeolite Y)-guest (ruthenium(III) salophen complex) nanocomposite materials: An efficient and reusable catalyst for shape-selective epoxidation of linear alkenes with sodium periodate

Abstract

Zeolite-encapsulated ruthenium(III) salophen (ZERS) was prepared by flexible ligand method and characterized by diffuse reflectance FT-IR and UV–vis spectroscopic methods, X-ray diffraction, BET, SEM, TEM and elemental analysis. The amount of Ru-salophen in the zeolite supercages was 0.018mmol/g of encapsulated zeolite. This catalyst was used for efficient and selective epoxidation of different alkenes with NaIO4 under magnetic stirring and ultrasonic irradiation conditions. This catalyst also showed a good shape-selectivity in the epoxidation of linear alkenes. This heterogeneous catalyst was reused several times without significant loss of its catalytic activity.