A ruthenium porphyrin catalyst immobilized in a highly cross-linked polymer.

An immobilized Ru(meso-tetraarylporphyrin) complex was shown to be a very efficient catalyst for the epoxidation of olefins. In the presence of HBr, alcohols and even alkanes could be converted to the corresponding ketones. For the latter reactions the polymeric catalyst displayed a significantly enhanced activity when compared to that of the homogeneous version.[reaction: see text]