A hetergeneous catalyst includes a solid support having deposited thereon a catalyticaly
active material, which is substantially insoluble in organic and aqueous liquid
media. The insoluble material is constructed from secondary building blocks derived
from suitable organometallic active components, and the organometallic active component
may be molecularly modified so as to introduce two or more anionic functional groups.
These molecularly modified organometallic components, upon interaction with salts
of Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+, provde the practically
insoluble solid material. Methods of formuatling the organometallic active materials
on a solid support as a solid catalyst are also provided. The catalysts are capable
of catalyzing diverse reactions in polar and nonpolar reaction media, and the overall
integrity of the formulation as a solid material in a liquid phase provides easy
catalyst and product separation.