Heterogeneous Gold Catalysts for Selective Oxidation Reactions

Abstract

This chapter presents applications of supported gold catalysts in a number of important selective oxidation reactions, presenting particularly the related results published in the literature in the past three years. These reactions include selective oxidation of hydrocarbons such as epoxidation of propylene to propylene oxide, and selective oxidation of sugars, alcohols, glycerol and other polyols in the liquid and/or gas phase. Besides the often mentioned catalytic activity issues, topics such as the optimization of selectivity and the use of cheap oxidants such as air and oxygen are addressed as they are important in selective oxidations. A number of fundamental aspects, including preparation methods of gold catalysts, reaction mechanisms and the activation of molecular oxygen (a crucial step in oxidation reactions) are also discussed. Some theoretical calculations and modelling results, some of which are not available under the current experimental conditions, are mentioned as they shed light on various aspects including the structure of the active sites, activation of molecular oxygen and the role of the support.