Comparison of the catalytic activity of MOFs and zeolites in Knoevenagel condensation

By M. Opanasenko, A. Dhakshinamoorthy, M. Shamzhy, P. Nachtigall, M. Horáček, H. García, J. Čejka. 2013

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The catalytic behavior of metal–organic-frameworks (MOFs) CuBTC and FeBTC was investigated in Knoevenagel condensation of cyclohexane carbaldehyde and benzaldehyde with active methylene compounds and compared with zeolites BEA and TS-1. High yields were achieved over the CuBTC catalyst in the Knoevenagel condensation involving malonitrile, especially at a relatively low reaction temperature (80 °C); no leaching of the active phase was evidenced. In contrast, zeolites were not active under such reaction conditions. We propose an activation of malonitrile on a pair of adjacent Cu ions to explain the high catalytic activity of CuBTC with respect to conventional catalysts. Compared with CuBTC, zeolites exhibited usually lower selectivities, which is ascribed to a high acid strength of their active sites promoting consecutive reactions.

Subfields: Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Chemistry, Organic Chemistry

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/9bd3c17ef790cbfca9ff1dc396169ea5c5645776