Immobilization of cobalt(II) Schiff base complexes on polystyrene resin and a study of their catalytic activity for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols.

The copper-catalyzed [3+2] azide-alkyne cycloaddition and the Staudinger ligation are readily applicable and highly efficient for the immobilization of cobalt Schiff base complexes onto polystyrene resins. Stepwise synthesis of polymer-bound Schiff bases followed by their subsequent complexation with metal ions were successfully carried out. Direct covalent attachment of preformed homogeneous cobalt Schiff base complexes to the resins was also possible. The catalytic efficiency of the so-prepared polystyrene-bound cobalt Schiff bases was studied for the oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds using molecular oxygen as oxidant. The immobilized complexes were highly efficient and even more reactive than the corresponding homogenous analogues, thus affording better yields of oxidized products within shorter reaction times. The supported catalysts could easily be recovered from the reaction mixture by simple filtration and reused for subsequent experiments with consistent catalytic activity.