Synthesis, characterization and catalytic properties of heterogeneous iron(III) tetradentate Schiff base complexes for the aerobic epoxidation of styrene

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A series of hybrid mesoporous SBA-15 materials containing four iron(III) Schiff base complexes of the type [FeL x (NO3)] (x = 4–7, L = N,N′-bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine, N,N′-bis(salicylidene)diethylenetriamine, N,N′-bis(salicylidene)o-phenylenediamine, N,N′-bis(3-nitro-salicylidene)ethylenediamine) was synthesized by a post-grafting route. The XRD, N2 adsorption/desorption and TEM measurements confirmed the structural integrity of the mesoporous hosts, and the spectroscopic characterization techniques (FT-IR, UV–vis spectroscopy, 1H NMR) confirmed the ligands and the successful anchoring of iron(III) Schiff base complexes over the modified mesoporous support. Quantification of the supported ligand and metal was carried out by TG/DSC and ICP-AES techniques. The catalyst FeL7-SBA resulting from N,N′-bis(3-nitro-salicylidene)ethylenediamine) ligand was considerably active for the aerobic epoxidation of styrene, in which the highest conversion of styrene reached 83.6%, and the selectivity to styrene oxide was 83.0%. Moreover, it was also found that the catalytic activity increases with the decrease in the electron-donating ability of the Schiff bases, and the selectivity varies according to the types of substituents in the ligands.