Epoxidation Reactions Using Mesoporous SBA-15 Supported Mn(II)-Substituted Polyoxophosphomolybdate as Catalyst

Nanoscale catalyst SBA-POM was successfully synthesized by covalent bonding of polyoxomolybdate [PMnMo11O39]5‒ on the amino-functionalized SBA-15. The mesoporous nanomaterials, SBA-POM were characterized by a series of characterization techniques such as FT–IR, XRD, SEM, and EDX. The synthesized nanocatalyst was employed for olefins epoxidation which showed efficient reactivity with high yield and selectivity for the products, in most cases. In addition, the prepared heterogeneous nanocomposite was chemically stable and can be efficiently reused for at least five cycles without a significant loss in catalytic activity. Leaching tests and metal analysis of reaction solutions show that the catalytic activity stemmed from the immobilized species, not from the leaching of active species into solution.