Selective epoxidation of alkenes using highly active V-SBA-15 materials: microwave vs. conventional heating

V-SBA-15 materials prepared using a hydrothermal methodology were found to be highly active and selective in the oxidation of a range of alkanes under mild reaction conditions. The activities of the systems were compared under conventional and microwave heating. Microwave experiments demonstrated that the long times of reaction (12-24 h) required under conventional heating could be reduced to a few minutes (15-60) with improved activities and selectivities under similar reaction conditions.