N-H and S-H insertion reactions of a-diazoesters into amines and thiols were conducted using various Cu(I)-zeolites, such as zeolite Y, Y USY, ZSM-5, and beta. All the Cu(I)-zeolites successfully catalyzed N-H insertion reactions with high product yields (70-82%) in aqueous solution at room temperature. Interestingly, Cu(l)-USY (Si/Al = 30) showed better activity for both N-H and S-H insertion reactions than Cu(I)-Y (Si/Al= 2.6), even though they have the same structure and the same +1 oxidation state for Cu. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy analysis of the fresh and used catalysts revealed that no noticeable change in the zeolite structure, oxidation state of Cu, or sintering of Cu occurred during the reactions. Furthermore, after being recycled four times, the catalysts showed only minor activity decreases, exhibiting conversion rates 70-80% of those of the fresh catalysts, demonstrating their stability under the current reaction conditions. Temperature programmed reduction experiments showed that reduction of Cu+ to Cu degrees occurred at ca. 300 degrees C over Cu(l)-USY, while it occurred at ca. 800 degrees C over Cu(I)-Y. The significantly higher activity of Cu(I)-USY than Cu(l)-Y may be due to the more electrophilic Cu centers on Cu(l)-USY, which is highly favorable for ylide formation, and therefore facilitates N-H and S-H insertions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.