Microwave synthesis of a porous metal-organic framework, nickel(II) dihydroxyterephthalate and its catalytic properties in oxidation of cyclohexene

Abstract

A porous coordination solid of nickel(II) dihydroxyterephthalate has been synthesized by the microwave-assisted (MW) method. The synthesized nickel(II) dihyroxylterephthalate was designated by the general formula of [Ni 2(dhtp) (H2O)2]·8H2O (where, dhtp = 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalate, denoted by Ni-DHTP). The effect of microwave-irradiation temperature and time of irradiation on the porosity and morphological changes in the solids have also been investigated. The catalytic performance of Ni-DHTP synthesized by MW method has been studied in the oxidation of cyclohexene with aqueous H2O2, which gave cyclohexene oxide as the primary product and 2-cyclohexene-1-ol as a major product.