A readily prepared, highly reusable and active polymer-supported molybdenum carbonyl Schiff base complex as epoxidation catalyst

Polymer-bound Schiff base ligand 2 was prepared by oxidation of chloromethylated polystyrene to aldehydic polystyrene 1 and then reaction with ethylene diamine. The functionalized polystyrene 2 was used to immobilize Mo(CO)6 and polymer-bound molybdenum carbonyl Schiff base catalyst 3 was produced. This supported catalyst shows high activity in epoxidation of various alkenes in the presence of tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP). The supported molybdenum catalyst can be recovered and reused for eight times without loss in its activity.