Zeolite encapsulated Ru(III), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes as effective catalysts for the oxidation of ethylbenzene

Ru(III), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes of imidazole (ImzlH) have been synthesized in the supercages of zeolite-Y by flexible ligand method and characterized by spectroscopic (IR and UV–Vis) studies, XRD and thermogravimetric analysis, surface area, and pore volume measurements. These complexes were screened for their catalytic study towards the oxidation of ethylbenzene to a mixture of acetophenone, benzaldehyde and styrene using tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) as an oxidant. A best-suited reaction condition has been optimized for these catalysts by varying the amount of the oxidant and catalyst, reaction time and volume of solvent for maximum transformation of ethylbenzene. Under the optimized reaction conditions, [Cu(ImzlH)]-Y gave 79.3% conversion after 1 h of reaction time. All these catalysts were more selective towards acetophenone formation. Among the prepared catalysts, zeolite encapsulated Cu(II) complex was found to be more active than the corresponding Ru(III) and Zn(II) complexes and all the complexes were stable enough to be reused. The catalytic activities of the neat complexes and metal exchanged zeolites were also compared with the zeolite encapsulated metal complexes.