Solid Acid-Base Bifunctional Catalysts in Organic Transformations

The tendency in recent decades is to develop environmentally friendly heterogeneous catalytic systems for organic transformations. In particular, chemical reactions cooperatively promoted by solid acid-base bifunctional catalysts with good dispersion of active sites and high catalytic performances have aroused much attention. In this review, recent advances in preparation and application of solid acid-base bifunctional catalysts for organic transformations are described, and special emphasis is paid to understand the catalytic mechanisms of the acid-base bifunctionality. Furthermore, strategies for well positioning acidic sites and basic sites to cohabitation and cooperation are briefly discussed. Keywords: Organic transformation, heterogeneous catalysis, acid-base bifunctional catalyst, cooperative reaction, cascade reaction.