SYNTHESIS OF CATALYTICALLY ACTIVE POLYMER-BOUND SCHIFF-BASE MANGANESECOMPLEXES FOR SELECTIVE EPOXIDATION OF UNFUNCTIONAL OLEFINS

An unsymmetric tetradentate Schiff base with one vinyl group was first synthesized anti copolymerized with styrene in toluene. Metalation of the copolymer with Mn(OAc)(2) . 4H(2)O and LiCl . H2O was quantitativ ely incorporated by the functional moiety determined by ICP-AES techno logy. The linear polymer bound manganese complexes were used in homoge neous condition as catalysts in acetonitrile for selective epoxidation of unfunctional olefins(i.e. styrene, alpha - methylstyrene ene anti cyclohexene) at room temperature in the presence of iodosylbenzene (Ph lO) as the terminal oxidant. The efficacy of epoxidation using the pol ymeric catalysts was comparable to the monomolecular analogs. Polymer effect was discussed.