Novel heterogeneous W-doped MCM-41 catalyst for highly selective oxidation of cyclopentene to glutaraldehyde by aqueous H2O2

W-doped MCM-41 (W-MCM-41) has been reported as a novel heterogeneous catalyst for the selective oxidation of cyclopentene to prepare glutaraldehyde with environmentally benign aqueous hydrogen peroxide. It is found that tungsten species could stably exist in the silica-based matrix of MCM-41 up to a Si/W molar ratio of 40 by means of X-ray diffraction, laser Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, etc. Proper content of tungsten species, high specific surface area and large mean pore size of the W-MCM-41 account mainly for its high catalytic activity in comparison with other W-containing heterogeneous catalysts. Complete conversion of cyclopentene and very high yield of glutaraldehyde (similar to72%) are obtained over the W-MCM-41 catalyst with an Si/W molar ratio of 40. Furthermore, almost no tungsten species are leached into the reaction solution, enabling the catalyst to be employed for many reaction cycles without obvious degeneration. The correlation of the catalytic behavior with the special structural characteristics of the W-MCM-41 catalyst is also discussed through various characterization methods.