Recyclable, green and efficient epoxidation of olefins in water with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by polyoxometalate nanocapsule

• PMo ⊂ Mo72Fe30 showed a high catalytic activity for the epoxidation of various alkenes with H2O2.
• For different alkenes, 99% selectivity to epoxide and 97–99% efficiency of H2O2 were observed.
• PMo ⊂ Mo72Fe30 exercised an excellent catalytic activity, stability and reusability.

A practical method for the selective epoxidation of alkenes was discovered using HxPMo12O40 ⊂ H4Mo72Fe30(CH3COO)15O254 as a catalyst in the presence of H2O2 as a green oxidant. However, the simple catalyst system involving polyoxometalates and H2O2 exercised the most successful system in obtaining high to excellent yields of epoxide products for different alkenes, including aromatic and aliphatic alkenes at room temperature in water. The effectiveness of this catalyst is evidenced by 99% selectivity to epoxide and 97–99% efficiency of H2O2 utilization. The stability of PMo ⊂ Mo72Fe30 under a catalytic reaction has been confirmed by XRD, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopies.

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