Manganese salophen complex supported on magnetic nanoparticles as an efficient, selective and recyclable catalyst for epoxidation of alkenes

Abstract

A magnetically recoverable catalyst consisting of Mn (III) salophen complex was prepared. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). The immobilized catalyst was shown to be an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the epoxidation of various alkenes using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as oxidant. The catalyst could be easily and efficiently isolated from the final product solution by magnetic decantation and be reused for 5 consecutive reactions without showing any significant activity degradation.