MoO2(acac)2 supported on silica functionalized imidazole as a highly efficient and reusable catalyst for alkene epoxidation with tert-BuOOH

The catalytic activity of molybdenyl acetylacetonate supported on silica functionalized imidazole, MoO2(acac)-SiIm, was investigated in the alkene epoxidation with tert-BuOOH. This heterogeneous catalyst can be applied for successful epoxidation of alkenes in refluxing 1,2-dichloroethane. The prepared catalyst was characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and SEM. This catalyst can be reused several times without significant of its catalytic activity. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.