Direct synthesis of Fe(III) immobilized Zr‐based metal–organic framework for aerobic oxidation reaction

A Zr‐based metal–organic framework with bipyridine units (UiO‐67) has been utilized for the immobilization of catalytically active iron species via a post‐synthetic metalation method. UiO‐67 bipyridine MOF was synthesized through a simple solvothermal method and was shown to have a UiO‐type structure. Post‐synthetic metalation of UiO‐67 MOF was performed for the immobilization of the catalytically active FeCl 3 . FT‐IR and EDX element map suggested that FeCl 3 is coordinately bonded to the UiO‐67 bipyridine framework. The synthesized UiO‐67‐FeCl 3 catalyst was used for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols and benzylic compounds in the presence of molecular oxygen. In addition, the UiO‐67‐FeCl 3 catalyst can be reused as a solid heterogeneous catalyst without compromising its activity and selectivity.