A mineralogically-inspired silver–bismuth hybrid material: Structure, stability and application for catalytic benzyl alcohol dehydrogenations under continuous flow conditions

Abstract

In the present contribution, we are reporting our findings on the structure, stability and synthetic applicability of a silver-containing hybrid material, which has recently been introduced by our research groups as a mineralogically-inspired novel heterogeneous catalyst. To determine how silver ions can be fixed into the structure of the catalyst, a set of experiments was designed with modification of the interlayer gallery under hydrothermal conditions. Subsequently, the stability of the material was examined in various solvents under demanding continuous flow conditions with the aim of achieving a clear picture of its applicability in organic syntheses. On the basis of the useful data obtained during the stability tests, a continuous flow methodology was developed for catalytic dehydrogenation of diversely substituted benzylic alcohols. As far as selectivity is concerned the catalyst performed superbly, while the conversions were varied from fair to extremely good.