The synthesis of a copper metal‐organic framework Cu3TDPAT and its application in a Morita‐Baylis‐Hillman (MBH) reaction

Abstract

AbstractA highly effective Morita‐Baylis‐Hillman (MBH) reaction was developed employing Cu (II) derived Cu3TDPAT as the dual‐functional metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) catalyst. Four kinds of copper salts were employed as precursors to synthesize Cu3TDPAT. The resultant Cu3TDPAT MOFs were used as catalysts for the MBH model reaction of 4‐fluorobenzaldehyde and 2‐cyclopentene‐1‐one under various reaction conditions. The results showed that Cu3TDPAT‐c derived from copper nitrate was the optimal catalyst to achieve a high yield (up to 99%). With the presence of aromatic aldehydes and basic triazine groups in Cu3TDPAT, the Lewis acid and base sites in Cu3TDPAT MOF played a significant role during the reaction to effect the formation of CC single bond between 4‐fluorobenzaldehyde and 2‐cyclopentene‐1‐one to generate benzyl methyl acrylonitrile products. In addition, after optimization, this catalyst showed good catalytic performance for the MBH reaction with high thermal stability, reliability, and recyclability. This optimal catalytic performance shows great potential for further development.