Superior performance of a chiral catalyst confined within mesoporous silica

A chiral catalyst from the ligand 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene (dppf) anchored to the inner walls of the mesoporous support MCM-41 and co-ordinated to PdII has been shown to exhibit a degree of regioselectivity and enantiomeric excess, in the allylic amination of cinnamyl acetate, which is far superior to that of its homogeneous counterpart or that of a surface-bound analogue attached to a non-porous silica.