The
preparation of chiral metal complexes in NaY zeolite is reported.
The guests, chiral metal complexes, were entrapped in the supercages
of NaY zeolite (host) by a two-step process in the liquid phase: (i)
inclusion of the selected transition metal (rhodium(III) and manganese(II))
by ion-exchange in the porous structure and (ii) introduction of the
chiral ligand, an d-erythrose amino derivative, namely (2R,4S,5R)-4-[(N-methylamino)methyl]-2-phenyl-1,3-dioxan-5-ol, followed by assembly
of the complex inside the void space of the zeolite. Structural (FTIR
and XRD), surface studies (SEM) and chemical analyses were used to
characterize the new host–guest catalysts and the results indicated
that chiral metal complexes were successfully encapsulated in supercages
of the NaY zeolite. Catalytic studies were performed in liquid phase
for norbornene oxidation using tert-butyl hydroperoxide
as the oxygen source. The catalytic results were compared with styrene
and cyclohexanol oxidation as model reactions. The prepared chiral
catalysts exhibited catalytic activity for all oxidation reactions.
The stability of the catalysts before and after reaction was confirmed
by cyclic voltammetry and FTIR studies.