Multi-wall carbon nanotubes supported molybdenum hexacarbonyl: An efficient and highly reusable catalyst for epoxidation of alkenes with tert-butyl hydroperoxide

Abstract

The preparation, characterization and investigation of catalytic activity of Mo(CO)6 supported on multi-wall carbon nanotubes modified with 4-aminopyridine is reported. The catalyst, [Mo(CO)5-APy-MWCNT], was characterized by elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and FT-IR and diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopic methods. This new heterogenized catalyst was used as an efficient catalyst for alkene epoxidation with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tert-BuOOH) in CCl4 as solvent. This heterogeneous metal carbonyl catalyst showed high stability and reusability in the epoxidation reactions without loss of its catalytic activity. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.