Monodispersed poly(4-vinylpyridine) spheres supported Fe(III) material: An efficient and reusable catalyst for benzylic oxidation

•P4VP spheres enhanced benzylic oxidation yield and selectivity promoted by Fe(III).•The PVPDVB10%-Fe(III) catalyst was obtained in uniform sizes and nanomorphologies.•High catalytic oxidation efficiency and stability of PVPDVB10%-Fe(III) catalyst.

A novel ferric chloride immobilized poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) catalyst was developed via a coordination chemistry-based approach. The pyridine moiety of poly(4-vinylpyridine) spheres functioned as the nitrogen donor to bind iron ions, as well as to decrease the amount of pyridine used in the catalytic reaction system. The monodispersed catalyst was well dispersed in the organic solvent during the catalytic procedure, taking advantage of its nanomorphology and uniform size. The catalytic activity of various monodispersed catalysts based different mass fractions of the divinylbenzene (DVB) was investigated, meanwhile the capacities of supported Fe(III) in the various catalysts were also discussed. The P4VPDVB10%-Fe(III) catalyst exhibited high catalytic activity in the benzylic oxidation of benzylic methylenes and secondary benzylic alcohols. It was easily separated from the reaction system and reused several times without obvious degradation of catalytic activity. Moreover, leaching tests suggested that the as-synthesized P4VPDVB10%-Fe(III) catalyst was a true heterogeneous catalyst without significant metal leaching.

Graphical abstractNovel monodispersed poly(4-vinylpyridine) spheres supported Fe(III) material were synthesized to function as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for benzylic oxidation. The P4VPDVB10%-Fe(III) catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity in benzylic oxidation about benzylic methylenes and secondary benzylic alcohols.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (117 K)Download as PowerPoint slide