Spectroscopic and catalytic activity study of N,N′-bis(salicylidene)propane-1,3-diamine copper(II) encapsulated in zeolite-Y Original Research Article

N,N′-Bis(salicylidene)propane-1,3-diamine copper(II), [Cu(salpn)] has been encapsulated in the super cages of zeolite-Y and characterized by spectroscopic studies and thermal as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. Catalytic activity of [Cu(salpn)]-Y in the oxidation of phenol to a mixture of catechol and hydroquinone using H2O2 as an oxidant has been studied and the best suited reaction conditions have been optimized by considering the effect of solvents used, concentration of substrate, temperature, reaction time, amount of catalyst and oxidant. Under the best suited conditions, the selectivity towards the formation of catechol and hydroquinone is about 80 and 20%, respectively.