aerobic oxidation of alcohols over gold catalysts role of.pdfVIP

Catal Lett (2008) 126:213–217 DOI 10.1007/s10562-008-9688-x Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols over Gold Catalysts: Role of Acid and Base Søren K. Klitgaard Æ Andrew T. DeLa Riva Æ Stig Helveg Æ Rebecka M. Werchmeister Æ Claus H. Christensen Received: 3 July 2008 / Accepted: 18 September 2008 / Published online: 10 October 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008 Abstract Gold nanoparticles are deposited on potassium considered to be too inactive to be useful in heterogeneous titanate nanowires and used as heterogeneous catalysts in catalysis. However, this changed with the discovery that the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol in methanol to gold nanoparticles can indeed be very active in oxidation methyl benzoate at ambient conditions. The presence of a reactions as reported first by Haruta et al. for low catalytic amount of base promotes the reaction and the temperature aerobic oxidation of carbon monoxide [6]. formation of free benzoic acid during the reaction poisons Following the discovery by Haruta et al., a variety of the catalyst. The activity however, of the catalyst can be aerobic oxidation reactions have been reported [7, 8]. For restored again by addition of base. instance, gold nanoparticles were used in the oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes [9], carboxylic acids [10– 14] or Keywords Oxidation Benzyl alcohol esters [ 15, 16], in the oxidation of aldehydes to esters [17] Au supported catalyst Potassium titanates or acids [ 18] in epoxidations of olefins [19, 20], and in the Methyl benzoate oxidation of amines to amides [21]. Although Haruta et al.