Zeolite-encapsulated Ru(III) tetrahydro-Schiff base complex: An efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the hydrogenation of benzene under mild conditions

A series of Ru(III) tetrahydro-Schiff base complexes (denoted as Ru[H4]-Schiff base with Schiff base = salen, salpn and salcn, see Scheme 1) were encapsulated in the supercages of zeolite Y by flexible ligand method. The prepared catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance UV–Vis spectroscopy, Infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, as well as N2 adsorption techniques. It was shown that upon encapsulation in zeolite Y, Ru(III) tetrahydro-Schiff base complexes exhibited higher activity for the hydrogenation of benzene than the corresponding Ru(III)-Schiff base complexes. This indicates that hydrogenation of the CN bond of the Schiff base ligands led to a modification of the coordination environment of the central Ru(III) cations. The stability of the prepared catalysts has also been confirmed against leaching of the complex molecule from the zeolite cavities, as revealed by the result that no loss of catalytic activity was observed within three successive runs with regeneration.