Self-Assembly of a Pd 4 Cu 8 L 8 Cage for Epoxidation of Styrene and Its Derivatives.

Herein we report a discrete heterometallic Pd 4 Cu 8 L 8 cage with a tubular structure, which was synthesized by the assembly of copper metalloligands and Pd II ions in a stepwise manner. The Pd 4 Cu 8 L 8 cage has been unequivocally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, electrospray ionization-mass spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The cage showed excellent catalytic activity in the epoxidation of styrene and its derivatives under conditions without using additional solvent, providing potential material for catalyzing the oxidation reactions.