Catalysts titanosilicate molecular sieves

Significant progress has been achieved in the preceding few years in the study of titanosilicate molecular sieves, especially TS-1, TS-2, Ti-beta, and Ti-MCM-41. In the dehydrated, pristine state most of the Ti4+ ions on the surfaces of these materials are tetrahedrally coordinated, being present in either one of two structures a tetrapodal (Ti(OSi)4) or a tripodal (Ti(OSi)3OH) structure. The former predominates in TS-1, TS-2, and Ti-beta, and the latter is prominent in Ti-MCM-41. The Ti ions are coordinatively unsaturated and act as Lewis acid sites that coordinatively bind molecules such as H20, NH3, CH3CN, and H202. Upon interaction with H202 or H2 + 02, the Ti ions form titanium oxo species. Spectroscopic techniques have been used to identify side-bound hydroperoxo species such as Ti(02H) and superoxo structures such as Ti(02 ) on these catalysts. 

Titanosilicates molecular sieves, especially TS-1, have been widely studied for the selective oxidation of a variety of organic substrates, using aqueous H202. ° Recently, there have been attempts to substitute aqueous H2O2 by a mixture of H2 and O2 in the presence of metals such as Pd, Pt, Au, etc. Selectivities of 99% for propylene oxide formation from propylene were observed by Haruta and co-workers over Au-containing catalysts. We had also found that the epoxide selectivity in the epoxidation... 

The use of heterogeneous catalysts in the synthesis of urethanes from aliphatic and aromatic amines, C02 and alkyl halides has been explored only recently. Titanosilicate molecular sieves [60a], metal phthalocyanine complexes encapsulated in zeolite-Y [60a], beta-zeolites and mesoporous silica (MCM-41) containing ammonium cations as the templates [60b, c], and adenine-modified Ti-SBA-15 [60d, e] each function as effective catalysts, even without any additional base. 

A useful fingerprint of an active TS-1 catalyst is the particle size of the titanosilicate (<0.4 pm). Although the particle size influences the catalytic activity of all molecular sieves, it is especially so in the case of TS-1 and due care should be exercised in comparing samples varying in particle size (89,90). 

Titanosilicates have been synthesized which have the large pore structure of UTD-1. These molecular sieves were prepared using the metal complex Cp 2Co (bis(pentamethylcyclo-pentadienyl)cobalt(III) ion) as the template. Ti-UTD-1 has been found to be an effective catalyst for the oxidation of alkanes, alkenes and phenols using hydrogen peroxide as well as the larger oxidant t-butylhydroperoxide. The channel structure defined by 14 membered rings in Ti-UTD-1 also allows the conversion of larger substrates such as 2,6-di-t-butylphenol. 

---