Microwave assisted synthesis of substituted metallophthalocyanines and their catalytic activity in epoxidation reaction

Substituted iron and cobalt phthalocyanines are easily prepared by microwave irradiation of the starting materials under solvent free condition, which reduced reaction time considerably. The synthesized metalloplithalocyanines (octachloro-, tetranitro-, tetracarboxy- or polyphthalocyanine) are used as epoxidation catalysts of cyclooctene in homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions by iodosylbenzene as an oxidant. Their catalytic activities have shown that the electron withdrawing groups on the phthalocyanine ring have a very small effect on stability of the catalyst during the reactions. Copyright (c) 2005 Society of Porphyrins & Phthalocyanines.