Divalent metal organic frameworks as heterogeneous oxidation catalysts

Resumen

A "green" synthesis method has been developed for the preparation of metal organic frameworks in aqueous media, which is easily scalable, at room tempera-ture, ambient pressure and very short crystallization times (10 min). This method has been successfully applied to the synthesis of isoreticular divalent metal trimesates of general formula M3(BTC)2·12 H2O (M = Ni2+, Co2+, Cu2+ y Zn2+; BTC = trimesate). The structure of these compounds features two types of metal centers ("bridging" and "terminal") in a 2 to 1 ratio, both with octahedral coordina-tion and linked to 4 water molecules and 2 carboxylate oxygens of the ligand. Using this method, two series of bimetallic isoreticular compounds of Co-Ni and Co-Zn have also been prepared in all range of compositions, as well as bimetallic Mn-Ni compounds up to a maximum concentration of 50% of Mn2+. A combined X-ray diffraction (powder and single crystal) and EDX/SEM has shown that these bimetallic compounds form true solid solutions (not simple mixture of phases) and that both ions distribute homogeneously throughout the crystal. A detailed analysis of the variation of cell parameters with the composition strongly sug-gests that Co2+ ions occupy preferentially the "terminal" positions of the frame-work. The materials obtained with the above method have been evaluated as catalysts for the aerobic oxidation of cumene (CM) to cumene hydroperoxide (CHO). The monometallic Co2+ compound, Co-BTC, showed a high catalytic activity, but a relatively low selectivity to CHP 69%), since the Co2+ ions can also catalyze the decomposition of the formed CHP. A good strategy to optimize the CHP selectivity consisted in isolating the Co2+ ions into a Ni-BTC (which is inert for both CM oxidation and CHP decomposition). In this way, as the concentration of Co2+ ions in the bimetallic Co-Ni compound decreases, a parallel increase of the CHP selec-tivity was observed, up to 91% for the material with 5% of Co. In this compound, 73% of the total Co2+ ions are statistically isolated, so that decomposi-tion/overoxidation of CHP is unlikely to occur. By using a variation of the above synthesis method, additional isoreticular Co2+ compounds have been prepared in which the trimesate ligands have been partially replaced by either isophthalic or 5-aminoisophthalic. When these compounds were used as catalysts for the aerobic oxidation of cumene, we observed that the introduction of this second ligand (in particular in the case of 5-aminoisophthalic) into the framework facilitates decomposition of CHP and in-creases the final selectivity to 2-phenyl-2-propanol (PP). This has been attributed to the progressive creation of point defects in the framework, having a higher activity for CHP decomposition. Following with the aerobic oxidation of CM as model reaction, we evaluated the catalytic activity of isoreticular cobalt compounds having bispyrazolate ligands bearing differnent functional groups (CoBPZ, CoBPZ-NO2 and CoBPZ-NH2). In this case, there is a clear influence of the ligand used on the catalytic activity of the material and the obtained selectivity to CHP or PP. While CoBPZ showed a low CM conversion and high CHP selectivity, the opposite properties are obtained for the Co-BPZ-NH2: i.e., a high reaction rate but a low CHP selectivity. In this latter case, the major product of the reaction was PP. Finally, the evaluation of divalent MOFs as oxidation catalysts has been complet-ed by addressing the synthesis of quinazoline through the oxidative coupling reaction of benzylamine and 2-aminoacetophenone using TBHP as oxidant. As catalysts for this reaction we have used a copper trimesate, HKUST-1, as well as isoreticular mixed-ligand compounds obtained by partially replacing trimesate ligands by 5-hydroxyisophthalic (OH-isophthalic).