Catalytic oxidation of 4-tert-butyltoluene over Ti-MCM-41

The surface-grafted titanium MCM-41 materials were prepared by anchoring titanocene onto the inner walls of MCM-41. The materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm and diffuse reflectance UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopies. The catalytic properties of Ti-MCM-41 were tested in oxidation of 4-tert-butyltoluene with tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) in liquid phase. MCM-41 with loading 4.8 mol% Ti gave the maximal conversions of 23.6% of 4-tert-butyltoluene with a complete selectivity to 4-tert-butylbenzaldehyde.