Hybrid composite of CuO with $$\hbox {g}\hbox {-C}_{3}\hbox {N}_{4}$$ g -C 3 N 4 as a photoactive catalyst: an efficient approach for the oxidation of alcohols

Abstract

An eco-friendly method for the oxidative transformation of alcohols to their corresponding carbonyl compounds by using $$\hbox {g-C}_{3}\hbox {N}_{4}@\hbox {CuO}$$ as a photoactive heterogeneous catalyst has been developed. The catalyst was characterized by SEM-EDX, TEM, BET surface area measurements, powder XRD, FTIR, photoluminescence and UV-Vis spectroscopy. It was found to be very effective for the conversion of both primary and secondary alcohols into aldehydes and ketones with excellent yields using tert-butyl hydrogen peroxide (TBHP) as oxidant at room temperature in the presence of visible light in aqueous medium. The catalyst can be separated from the reaction mixture by simple centrifugation and reused up to five cycles without significant loss in activity. Hybrid composite of CuO with $$\hbox {g-C}_{3}\hbox {N}_{4}$$ is a very efficient photocatalyst for oxidation of alcohol in aqueous media at room temperature and can be reused up to five cycles without significant loss in catalytic activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a photoactive $$\hbox {g-C}_{3}\hbox {N}_{4}@\hbox {CuO}$$ catalyst for the oxidative transformation of alcohol.