Journal of Molecular Catalysis A-Chemical, Vol.165, No.1-2, 211-218, 2001
Bis(oxazoline)-metal complexes immobilised by electrostatic interactions as heterogeneous catalysts for enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions
The immobilisation by cationic exchange of complexes of a bis(oxazoline) with Cu(II), Mg(II) and Zn(II) has been studied with two types of anionic solid, a laponite clay and a nafion-silica nanocomposite. The results obtained show that the cationic exchange depends on both the geometry of the complex and the nature of the cation. Whereas the immobilisation of square-planar complexes takes place easily, the situation is not the same for tetrahedral complexes. The solids prepared have been used as catalysts in a benchmark Diels-Alder reaction. These solids are efficient catalysts but the enantioselectivities are low, a fact that is related to the presence of non-chiral catalytic sites and to the nature of both the solid counter-ion and the bis(oxazoline) structure.