Synthesis, characterization and catalytic oxidation properties of multi-wall carbon nanotubes with a covalently attached copper(II) salen complex

Hydroxyl functionalized copper(II) Schiff-base, N,N′-bis(4-hydroxysalicylidene)-ethylene-1,2-diaminecopper(II), [Cu((OH)2-salen)], has been covalently anchored on modified MWCNTs. The new modified MWCNTs ([Cu((OH)2-salen)]-MWCNTs) have been characterized by TEM, thermal analysis, XRD, XPS, UV–vis, DRS, FT-IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The modified copper(II) MWCNTs solid was used to affect the catalytic oxidation of ethylbenzene with tert-butylhydroperoxide as the oxidant at 333 K. The system is truly heterogeneous (no leaching observed) and reusable (no decrease in activity) in three consecutive runs. Acetophenone was the major product though small amounts of o- and p-hydroxyacetophenones were also formed revealing that C–H bond activation takes place both at benzylic and aromatic ring carbon atoms. Ring hydroxylation was more over the “neat” complexes than over the encapsulated complexes.