Facile synthesis of licarin A from isoeugenol using Cu ion-exchanged zeolite Y under mild conditions

Abstract

This research focused on investigating the selective synthesis of licarin A by oxidation of isoeugenol by employing copper (II) ionexchanged Y-zeolite (xCuY, x = 0.02, 0.05, 0.08 and 0.10) as the catalyst. The xCuY catalyst was synthesized through the capillary impregnation method, enabling the exchange of Cu(II) ions within the porous structure of zeolite Y. The structure of xCuY was thoroughly characterized using various analytical methods, namely, SEM, EDX, XRD, FT-IR, NH₃-TPD and N₂ adsorption/desorption measurements. A high yield of licarin A was obtained through isoeugenol selective oxidation using xCuY under modest and environmentally friendly reaction conditions. Additionally, the xCuY catalyst exhibited excellent reusability, maintaining its catalytic activity even after being reused at least five times.