The first example of heterogeneous oxidation of secondary amines by tungstate-exchanged Mg-Al layered double hydroxides: a green protocol

Tungstate exchanged Mg-Al layered double hydroxides as a recyclable heterogenised catalyst along with H2O2 as an oxidant for the oxidation of sec-amines to nitrones is developed for the first time, Reactions proceed at a fast rate in aqueous media in a single step at room temperature in good to excellent yields. The heterogenised catalyst showed higher activity (TOF) over their homogeneous analogues and other heterogeneous catalysts reported so far. The obtained catalysts were well characterised by various instrumental techniques such as FT-IR spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TGA and DTA), powder XRD and chemical analysis. The catalyst can be reused for six cycles with consistent activity and selectivity.