Two kinds of immobilized ruthenium complex with tetradentate BABP (6,6'-bis(benzoylamino)-2,2'-bipyridine) ligand are prepared. One is compound 1 (FSM-Ru) directly bound to silica of the FSM-surface through Ru-O-Si bond, and others are compounds 2 (FSM-Aps-Ru) and 3 (FSM-lms-Ru) with monodentate nitrogen ligands bound to silica surface. These ruthenium complexes encapsulated into mesopore of FSM showed interesting activity for oxygen transfer reaction of cyclohexene using tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) as an oxidant. The FSM-Ru catalyst (1) having oxygen donor gave 1,2-epoxycyclohexane (epoxide) selectively through stepwise addition of TBHP, although 2 and 3 having nitrogen donor gave 2-cyclohexen-1-yl tert-butyl peroxide (peroxide) mainly. This remarkable selectivity control in the oxygen transfer reaction is interpreted in terms of the trans-influence of the ruthenium complex with the axially coordinating monodentate ligand on the silica support. Moreover, the heterogeneous catalyst 1 was recycled and used three times in epoxidation of cyclohexene, since leaching of the ruthenium species from I was not observed under argon atmosphere. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.