Porous Cu–BTC silica monoliths as efficient heterogeneous catalysts for the selective oxidation of alkylbenzenes

Abstract

The microporous material Cu–BTC (1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid, BTC) is a prototype metal–organic framework (MOF). In situ combination of Cu–BTC and macro-/mesoporous silica monoliths lead to an efficient catalyst for selective oxidation. The catalytic activities for the oxidation of alkylbenzenes were examined using tert-butyl hydroperoxide as the oxidant, showing that low-cost macro-/mesoporous silica supported Cu–BTC is a highly efficentive and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for the selective oxidation from alkylbenzenes to ketones with moderate to excellent yields.