2Graphical Abstract -TOC 3
AbstractThe selective epoxidation of olefins with hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) over transition metal substituted zeolites is less environmentally impactful than epoxidation schemes that use chlorinated or organic oxidants. The structure and reactivity of reactive intermediates derived from H 2 O 2 and the mechanism for olefin epoxidation on such materials are debated. Here, cyclohexene oxide formation and H 2 O 2 decomposition rates (measured as functions of reactant and product concentrations) and in situ infrared (IR) and UV-vis spectroscopy are used to probe the intervening elementary steps for cyclohexene (C 6 H 10 ) epoxidation and the identity of the reactive intermediates on a Nb-β catalyst. IR and UV-vis spectra acquired in situ show that the reactive intermediates are predominantly superoxide species (Nb IV -(O 2 ) -; observed also by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), which form by the irreversible activation of H 2 O 2 over Nb centers.Similar M-(O 2 )* (M= Ti or Ta) intermediates were previously assumed to form via reversible processes; however, in situ IR and UV-vis measurements directly show that Nb IV -(O 2 )forms irreversibly in both H 2 O and acetonitrile. Activation enthalpies (ΔH ‡ ) for C 6 H 10 epoxidation are 27 kJ mol -1 higher than for H 2 O 2 decomposition, while activation entropies (ΔS ‡ ) for epoxidation are 56 J mol -1 K -1 lower than for H 2 O 2 . These comparisons show that the selectivities for epoxidation, via primary reaction pathways, increase with increasing reaction temperatures.Collectively, these results provide a self-consistent mechanism for C 6 H 10 epoxidation that is also in agreement with previously published data. These findings will aid the rational design and study of alternative metal oxide catalysts for olefin oxidation reactions.