Abstract
TiO4-deposited mesoporous silica (TDMS) was studied as a water-tolerant solid Lewis acid catalyst. TDMS prepared by a simple postgrafting technique using Ti(i-pro)4 has a large BET surface area (ca. 450 m2 g–1) and ordered mesoporous structure. Ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), and CO adsorption measurements with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed that isolated TiO4 tetrahedra on TDMS have Lewis acidity, even in the presence of water. Lewis acid centers on TDMS exhibit higher catalytic performance for the hydride transfer of pyruvaldehyde to lactic acid and the Mukaiyama-aldol condensation of benzaldehyde with 1-trimethylsilyloxy-cyclohexene in water than that of conventional heterogeneous and homogeneous Lewis acids, including scandium(III) triflate (Sc(OTf)3), which also works even in water. The high catalytic performance of TDMS can be attributed to Lewis acid catalysis of isolated TiO4 tetrahedra in water.
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