UiO-67 metal–organic framework immobilized Fe3+ catalyst for efficient Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction

Abstract

A solvothermal technique was used to prepare UiO-67, a metal–organic framework based on zirconium; immobilized Fe³⁺ active sites were added using a facile post-synthetic modification method. The as-synthesized catalyst UiO-67@Fe was fully characterized by SEM, XRD, FT-IR, EDX, XPS BET and TGA, which served as a heterogeneous catalyst for a Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) reaction. Upon optimizing the reaction conditions, the UiO-67@Fe could be reused eight times without compromising the yield. The UiO-67@Fe composite's synthetic efficacy, combined with its excellent thermal stability and recyclability, showed suitability as a catalytic agent for the MBH reaction. Several desired MBH addition products were generated in high yields, thanks to the combination of Lewis basic and Lewis acidic sites.