Highly efficient and reusable Cu-MCM-41 catalyst for the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclohexanone

A series of Cu-MCM-41 with different Cu contents were successfully synthesized by the direct hydrothermal (DHT) method and evaluated in the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclohexanone, using only 2 molar equiv of benzaldehyde as sacrificial agents. High conversion (99.0%) of cyclohexanone and e-caprolactone selectivity (100%) were detected over Cu-MCM-41 (23) within 3 h. Various physical-chemical characterizations, including BET, XRD, UV-vis and H-2-TPR, revealed that isolated Cu2+ species in the MCM-41 framework were responsible for the catalytic activities. This catalyst could be reused for three times without discernible loss in its activity and selectivity. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.