Enantioselective heterogeneous catalysis using modified zeolite catalysts

An enantioselective heterogeneous aziridination catalyst is described which is based upon an approach in which cations are anchored by ion-exchange within a microporous or a mesoporous material. The cations can be modified using chiral ligands to form an enantioselective catalyst that is wholly heterogeneous and can be readily reused Using this approach it is shown that copper-exchanged zeolite HY is a highly active catalyst for the aziridination of alkenes. Modification using bis(oxazolidines) lends to the formation of am enantioselective aziridination catalyst.