One-pot synthesis of primary amides on bifunctional Rh(OH)_x/TS-1@KCC-1 catalysts

A new microporous/mesoporous composite with a core-shell structure, TS-1@KCC-1, was fabricated in a microemulsion system by coating flower-like mesoporous silica (KCC-1) on the crystal surface of TS-1 zeolite. The synthesis conditions and a possible formation mechanism were studied in detail for the TS-1@KCC-1 material. A suitable temperature and assembly time were found to be 373-393 K and 4 h, respectively. The shell thickness of TS-1@KCC-1 was conveniently tuned in the range 25-80 nm. Rh(OH)_x species were supported on TS-1@KCC-1, giving rise to a novel bifunctional tandem catalyst Rh(OH)_x/TS-1@KCC-1, which effectively catalyzed the one-pot synthesis of primary amides directly from aldehydes, ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide.