Monomeric metal aqua complexes in the interlayer space of montmorillonites as strong Lewis acid catalysts for heterogeneous carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions.

Montmorillonite-enwrapped copper and scandium catalysts (Cu(2+)- and Sc(3+)-monts) were easily prepared by treating Na(+)-mont with the aqueous solution of the copper nitrate and scandium triflate, respectively. The resulting Cu(2+)- and Sc(3+)-monts showed outstanding catalytic activities for a variety of carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions, such as the Michael reaction, the Sakurai-Hosomi allylation, and the Diels-Alder reaction, under solvent-free or aqueous conditions. The remarkable activity of the mont catalysts is attributable to the negatively charged silicate layers that are capable of stabilizing metal cations. Furthermore, these catalysts were reusable without any appreciable loss in activity and selectivity. The Cu(2+)-mont-catalyzed Michael reaction proceeds via a ternary complex in which both the 1,3-dicarbonyl compound and the enone are coordinated to a Lewis acid Cu(2+) center.