Transition metals (M = Ti, V, Cr) were incorporated into the MCM-41 framework by surfactant-assisted direct hydrothermal (DHT) methods and were characterized in detail by XRD, N-2 adsorption-desorption, TG-DTG/DTA, SEM/TEM, DR UV-Vis, XPS and EPR. The structural regularity as well as the textural properties of the M-MCM-41 materials was confirmed by XRD, TEM and adsorption-desorption techniques. Nature of metal species and the percentage of framework as well as extra framework metal sites in the MCM-41 matrix are discussed in detail by various spectroscopic techniques. The catalytic activity as well as the selectivity of the M-MCM-41 catalysts were explored in the one-step liquid-phase oxidation reaction of ethyl benzene and diphenyl methane. Reaction data showed that the oxidation activity is more when H2O2 was used an oxidant, acetonitrile as solvent and V-MCM-41 as catalyst. However, the selectivity towards the desired keto derivatives (ethyl benzene to acetophenone and diphenyl methane to benzophenone) follows the order, Ti-MCM-41 > V-MCM-41 > Cr-MCM-41. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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