Synthesis of layered crystalline AlSPP and its immobilized chiral salen Mn(III) catalysts applicated in the large scale asymmetric epoxidation of olefins

Chiral salen Mn(III) complex was axially immobilized onto phenoxy-modified organic polymer-inorganic hybrid material layered crystalline aluminium oligo-styrenyl phosphonate-hydrogen phosphate. The prepared catalysts exhibited excellent activities and enantioselectivities for asymmetric epoxidation of unfunctionalized olefins with m-chloroperbenzoic acid as oxidant, especially for the epoxidation of α-methylstyrene (conversion: up to 99 %; ee: exceed 99 %). A point worth emphasizing is that the heterogeneous catalysts afforded remarkable increases of conversions and ee values without adding axial base N-methylmorpholine N-oxide for the asymmetric epoxidation of olefins. The catalyst can be easily recovered and reused with slightly decrease of activity and enantioselectivity after seven cycles. Delightedly, this novel heterogeneous catalyst could also be efficiently used in large-scale reactions with the enantioselectivity being maintained at the same level, which provided the potentiality for application in industry.