Olefin epoxidation with metal-based nanocatalysts

Alkene epoxidations are an important class of reactions carried out in industry; however, current methods are plagued by problems, including high cost, difficulty in recovering catalysts, and generation of large quantities of acidic and chlorinated waste. In recent years, nanocatalysts have been considered as robust, heterogeneous alternatives to homogeneous catalysts. This work evaluates silver- and base metal-containing nanocatalysts as olefin epoxidation catalysts, highlighting the industrial applicability and green aspects of these catalytic systems. The nanocatalysts discussed are mostly supported or composite materials that showed (generally) good activity and selectivity for various/multiple olefin epoxidation reactions.