One-pot tandem epoxidation and rearrangement of styrenes to phenylacetaldehydes over a bifunctional metal-organic layer catalyst

Abstract

This study develops an efficient tandem catalytic strategy for the direct conversion of styrene into phenylacetaldehyde. The process employs a well-designed metal-organic layer (MOL) catalyst integrated with dual functional active sites: a manganese (Mn) site anchored at the porphyrin center for styrene epoxidation and scandium (Sc) grafted on the secondary building units (SBUs) of the MOL as a Lewis acid for rearrangement. This cooperative catalysis enables a one-pot conversion of styrene to phenylacetaldehyde with a yield reaching 84%, bypassing the need for intermediate isolation. Compared to conventional routes, this system demonstrates high selectivity and offers a green synthetic route to phenylacetaldehyde while highlighting the broad potential of MOLs in complex tandem reactions.