Brindusa Dragoi and Emil Dumitriu*
Laboratory of Catalysis, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Technical University
of Iasi, 71 D. Mangeron,
700050-Iasi, Romania.
* Corresponding author: E-mail: edumitri@ch.tuiasi.ro
Abstract
Based on MCM-41 mesoporous silica, three different hybrid organic-inorganic
mesoporous materials were synthesized.
Functionalization and hydrophobization of MCM-41 with
3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), chlorotrimethylsilane
(CTMS), and propyltrimethoxysilane (PTMS) were carried out by post-synthesis
method after the removal of hexadecyltrimethylammonium
bromide used as template. The effect of grafted organosilanes on the
mesostructural properties
of the resulted hybrid materials was systematically analyzed by different
techniques such as X-ray diffraction
(XRD), N2 adsorption isotherms, FT-IR and 29Si MAS NMR. Functionalized MCM-41
samples were used as support
for Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) immobilization. The activity of the new
biocatalysts was evaluated in the alcoholysis
of ethyl acetate with two alcohols (1-hexanol and 1-butanol, respectively) and
compared with that of the free
enzyme. All reactions were performed in organic media using n-hexane as solvent.
Keywords: MCM-41, functionalization, immobilization, Candida antarctica lipase B, alcoholysis