Transition Metal Complexes Supported on Natural Zeolites: New Composite Materials for Innovative Applications

One of the novel procedures to obtain modified zeolites is the gradual loading of the crystals with transition metals and organic substances, which leads to complexes supported on the aluminosilicate zeolitic substrate. The coordination and organometallic compounds can either be encapsulated inside the micropores -nanopores- (intrazeolite complexes) or arranged on the surface of the crystals (surface complexes). The surface complexes are anchored by chemical bonds to active (Brønsted or Lewis) surface sites, whereas the intrazeolite ones are hosted into the channels allowing the zeolite to act as a “solid solvent”.