Cobalt immobilized on hydroxyapatite as a low-cost and highly effective heterogeneous catalyst for alkenes epoxidation under mild conditions.

Transition metal Co immobilized on hydroxyapatite with a loading of 0.05 wt% (denoted 0.05 wt% Co/HAP) could catalyze partial oxidation of cyclic alkenes, aromatic alkenes and aliphatic alkenes to yield epoxide products with excellent selectivity at 30 °C with O and iso-butyraldehyde as co-oxidant. The TOF value was as high as 6261 h for epoxidation of cyclohexene. In addition, the prepared 0.05 wt% Co/HAP catalyst can be re-used at least 6 times without significant loss of catalytic activity and selectivity.