Synthesis, characterization of Cosalen/NaY and the catalytic performance for aerobic oxidation of cyclohexane

N,N'-Bis(salicylidene)ethylenediiminocobalt (Cosalen) was encapsulated into the supercage of microporous NaY zeolite via "ship-in-a-bottle" technique. The impregnated Cosalen complex immobilized on the outer surface of the zeolite was also prepared in order to further prove the encapsulation by the flexible ligand method. The samples were characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, XRD, TG/DTA and SEM techniques. The oxidation of cyclohexane using oxygen was chosen to evaluate the catalytic performance of encapsulated complex. The encapsulated Cosalen was stable than the neat Cosalen complex and the conversion of cyclohexane reached 24.4% at 130 degrees C for 3 h in the CH3CN solution without adding any inducing agents. The higher selectivity for acid including adipic acid indicated that the encapsulated Cosalen exhibited the ability to produce acid from cyclohexane by one-step reaction.