Abstract
BackgroundThe introduction of an heterogeneously catalyzed gold-based alcohol oxidation process of broad applicability using a clean primary oxidant would be highly desirable. Gold is non toxic and carbonyl and carboxyl compounds are widely used to produce medicines, plastics, colorants, paints, detergents, fragrances, flavors, and other valued functional products.ResultsThe sol–gel entrapment of gold nanoparticles in hybrid silica improves gold-based oxidation catalysis applied to the selective oxidation of alcohols with aqueous hydrogen peroxide as eco-friendly primary oxidant. Pronounced physical and chemical stabilization of the sol–gel entrapped Au nanoparticles is reflected in catalyst recyclability.ConclusionsPotential implications of these findings are significant, especially considering that the highly stable, mesoporous glassy catalyst is ideally suited for application in microreactors for carrying out the reaction under flow.Graphical abstractSelective oxidation of 2-phenylethanol over SiliaCat Au nanoparticle. Hydrogen peroxide is the clean oxidant.
Highlights
The introduction of an heterogeneously catalyzed gold-based alcohol oxidation process of broad applicability using a clean primary oxidant would be highly desirable
Following three decades of intense fundamental research [1], heterogeneous gold catalysis is applied by the chemical industry to large-scale manufacturing of important monomers, with several Au-based redox syntheses likely to find commercial application in the few years [2]
A major progress in the field occurred in 2009 when Cao and co-workers in China reported that commercial catalyst AUROlite comprised of 1 % Au/TiO2 is an efficient and reusable catalyst for the base-free and solventfree oxidation of alcohols using aqueous H2O2 as primary oxidant at 90 °C [8]
Summary
The introduction of an heterogeneously catalyzed gold-based alcohol oxidation process of broad applicability using a clean primary oxidant would be highly desirable. Along with Ilharco and Fidalgo, we have recently reported that a catalyst comprised of Au nanoparticles (NPs) sol–gel entrapped in the aggregated mesoporosity of 5 %-methyl modified silica (trademarked SiliaCat Au) selectively catalyzes the oxidation of 1-phenylethanol to acetophenone [9] under the same base- and solventfree conditions developed by Cao’s team in 2009.
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