Preparation and characterization of a titanium(IV) silsesquioxane epoxidation catalyst anchored into mesoporous MCM-41.

This paper describes the synthesis and spectroscopic study of a titanium(IV) silsesquioxane complex, which is heterogenised in the pores of an MCM-41 host material. Its immobilization is performed via chemical bonding, not by means of physical adsorption. As a linking molecule between the MCM-41 carrier and the silsesquioxane, (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane is used. Characterization is performed by using nitrogen adsorption techniques, TGA, diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DRIFT) and ICP-MS. Also its catalytic activity towards the epoxidation of alkenes shows interesting results.