Influence of silylation on the catalytic activity of Ti-MCM-41 during epoxidation of olefins.

Ordered mesoporous titanium containing MCM-41 type materials have been silylated with a suite of organosilanes. We found that catalytic activity for epoxidation of cyclohexene using tercbutylhydroperoxide as oxidant as well as the selectivity to the desired epoxide strongly depend on the hydrophobic properties and on the number of free silanol groups of Ti-MCM-41 catalysts, which can be nicely controlled by modifying the number and/or the nature of the organosilane groups bounded onto the walls of Ti-MCM-41 catalysts.