Short communicationTuning component enrichment in amino acid functionalized (organo)silicas

- A synthesis procedure for tailored cysteine functionalized materials is developed.
- The hydrophobicity is tuned via the incorporation of specific building blocks.
- A remarkable interplay between the components and support properties is observed.
- A selective component enrichment is essential to achieve the targeted catalyst performance.

A straightforward procedure to synthesize cysteine functionalized materials with tailored support properties has been developed. It allows tuning the hydrophobicity of the material via the incorporation of aliphatics, aromatics or silica in the framework structure. The aldol condensation of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde and acetone, as a probe reaction for the catalytic activity of the produced materials, exhibited a remarkable interplay between the reactant, solvent, traces of water and support hydrophobicity. A selective enrichment in the catalyst pores of specific bulk phase molecules is believed to be the key to achieve the targeted catalyst performance.

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