Encapsulation of molybdenum(VI) complex with thiazole-hydrazone ligand in zeolite Y: an efficient reusable catalyst for oxidation of primary alcohols and hydrocarbons

The reaction between 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde and 2-hydrazinobenzothiazole in methanol gave (E)-2-((2-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)hydrazono)methyl)-6-methoxyphenol (H2L). Interaction of this ligand with Mo-Y in the ethanol, led to [MoO2L(EtOH)]/Y. FT-IR, TGA, XRD, ICP and elemental analysis indicate the presence of [MoO2L(EtOH)] within the cavity pores of zeolite-Y. This material serves as a catalyst for the oxidation of primary alcohols, saturated hydrocarbons, such as ethylbenzene and toluene, using TBHP (70% solution in H2O) as an oxidant. The reaction conditions have been optimized for solvent, temperature and amount of oxidant and catalyst. The encapsulation of catalyst in zeolite, played an significant role in the catalytic behavior of this heterogeneous catalyst. The catalyst was easily recovered from the reaction medium and it could be re-used for other three runs without significant loss of activity. In addition, in comparison with the homogeneous [MoO2L(EtOH)] catalyst, high catalytic activity, improved stability, recycling ability and operational flexibility make the encapsulated catalyst, [MoO2L(EtOH)]/Y, better.