Catalytic oxidation of alcohols using molecular oxygen mediated by poly(ethylene glycol)-supported nitroxyl radicals

The selective catalytic oxidation of alcohols over a mixture of copper(I) chloride and a number of linear ‘linker-less’ or ‘branched’ poly(ethylene glycol)-supported nitroxyl radicals of the 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) family as a catalyst system has been investigated in the presence of molecular oxygen in a batch reactor. It is found that the activity profile of the polymer-supported nitroxyl radicals is in good agreement with that of low-molecular weight nitroxyl catalysts, for example, allylic and benzylic alcohols are oxidised faster than aliphatic alcohols. The oxidations can be tuned to be highly selective such that aldehydes are the only oxidation products observed in the oxidation of primary alcohols and the oxidations of secondary alcohols yield the corresponding ketones. A strong structural effect of the polymeric nitroxyl species on catalytic activity that is dependent upon their spatial orientation of the nitroxyl radicals is particularly noted. The new soluble macromolecular catalysts can be recovered readily from the reaction mixture by solvent precipitation and filtration. In addition, the recycled catalysts demonstrate a similar selectivity with only a small decrease in activity compared to the fresh catalyst even after five repetitive cycles.     

TEMPO催化醇氧化反应进展

选择性催化氧化醇类化合物为相应的醛或酮是一类重要的官能团转化反应。四甲基哌啶氧化物(TEMPO)是一种含有稳定的氮氧自由基(NO·)的有机小分子催化剂,NO·可通过自身的强选择性,在加快醛或酮转化的同时不会过氧化成为羧酸。本文阐述了TEMPO催化体系催化醇选择性氧化反应的机理,在此基础上详述了过渡金属/TEMPO、非过渡金属/TEMPO、固载化TEMPO等体系催化醇选择性氧化反应的研究情况,并探讨了TEMPO在电催化以及光催化方面的应用。指出将高活性的TEMPO催化体系改进,在发挥其高选择性、高活性优点的同时,克服其本身价格昂贵的缺点,实现催化体系的重复利用,更符合生态、绿色理念,也是未来发展的趋势。     

New types of catalytic oxidations in organic synthesis

Simulation of the enzymatic function of cytochrome P-450 with transition metal complex catalysts has resulted in finding biomimetic and catalytic oxidations of amines, amides, β-lactams, alcohols, phenols and hydrocarbons by using ruthenium catalyst and peroxide. Further study revealed that the catalytic formation of peracids in situ from aldehydes and molecular oxygen enables the aerobic oxidation of β-lactams, alcohols, alkanes and ketones in the presence of metal catalyst under mild conditions.     

Soot oxidation catalyzed by a Cu/K/Mo/Cl catalyst: evaluation of the chemistry and performance of the catalyst

Several non-supported oxidic compounds potentially present in a Cu/K/Mo/Cl catalyst (copper molybdates, potassium molybdates, and a mixed copper-potassium molybdate (K₂Cu₂(MoO₄)₃)) have been tested individually on their activity in the oxidation of a model soot (Printex-U, which non-catalytically oxidizes at 875 K). These oxidic compounds are active between 665 and 720 K, but only after establishment of ‘tight contact’ between the catalyst and soot in a ball mill. Without the ball mill procedure (‘loose contact’) these oxides are less active (the soot oxidation temperature is shifted to about 790 K), while a ZrO₂ supported Cu/K/Mo/Cl catalyst still shows a high activity around 670 K. Hence, the ‘loose contact’ activity of the supported Cu/K/Mo/Cl catalyst is not explained by the presence of an active oxidic compound. DRIFT and XRD analyses have shown that addition of KCl to CuMoO₄ (two compounds present within the Cu/K/Mo/Cl catalysts) followed by calcination at 950 K in air, eventually results in the formation of a mixed potassium-copper molybdate. Simultaneously several volatile copper, potassium and chlorine containing compounds (e.g. K₂CuCl₄) are formed. These copper and chlorine containing compounds possess a high ‘loose contact’ soot oxidation activity between 600 and 690 K. A catalytic cycle, involving Cu₂OCl₂, is proposed to explain the high ‘loose contact’ activity of copper chlorides and supported Cu/K/Mo/Cl catalysts. The activity of the latter catalyst will be maintained as long as Cu₂OCl₂ can be reformed by reaction of copper molybdates with KCl, which serves as a chlorine supplier.     

Catalytic combustion over platinum group catalysts: fuel-lean versus fuel-rich operation

Performance data are presented for methane oxidation on alumina-supported Pd, Pt, and Rh catalysts under both fuel-rich and fuel-lean conditions. Catalyst activity was measured in a micro-scale isothermal reactor at temperatures between 300 and 800 °C. Non-isothermal (near adiabatic) temperature and reaction data were obtained in a full-length (non-differential) sub-scale reactor operating at high pressure (0.9 MPa) and constant inlet temperature, simulating actual reactor operation in catalytic combustion applications.

Under fuel-lean conditions, Pd catalyst was the most active, although deactivation occurred above 650 °C, with reactivation upon cooling. Rh catalyst also deactivated above 750 °C, but did not reactivate. Pt catalyst was active above 600 °C. Fuel-lean reaction products were CO₂ and H₂O for all three catalysts.

The same catalysts tested under fuel-rich conditions demonstrated much higher activity. In addition, a ‘lightoff’ temperature was found (between 450 and 600 °C), where a stepwise increase in reaction rate was observed. Following ‘lightoff’ partial oxidation products (CO, H₂) appeared in the mixture, and their concentration increased with increasing temperature. All three catalysts exhibited this behavior.

High-pressure (0.9 MPa) sub-scale reactor and combustor data are shown, demonstrating the benefits of fuel-rich operation over the catalyst for ultra-low emissions combustion.     

An investigation of alumina-supported catalysts for the selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia in biomass gasification

Alumina-supported catalysts containing different transition metals (Ni, Cu, Cr, Mn, Fe and Co) were prepared and tested for their activity in the selective oxidation of ammonia reaction at high temperatures (between 700 and 900 °C) using a synthetic gasification gas mixture. The catalysts were also characterised for their acidic properties by infrared studies of pyridine and ammonia adsorption and reaction/desorption. The Ni/Al₂O₃ and Cr/Al₂O₃ catalyst displayed the highest selective catalytic oxidation (SCO) activity in that temperature range with excellent N₂ selectivities. FT-IR studies of adsorbed pyridine and NH₃ indicate that Lewis acid sites dominate and that NH₃ adsorption on these sites is likely to be the first step in the SCO reaction. FT-IR studies on less active catalysts, particularly on Cu/Al₂O₃ allowed the detection of oxidation intermediates, amide (NH₂), and possibly hydrazine and imido and nitroxyl species. The amide and hydrazine intermediate gives credence to a proposed SCO mechanism involving a hydrazine intermediate, while the proposed imide, =N–H, and/or nitroxyl, HNO species could be intermediates in incomplete oxidation of NH₃ to N₂O.     

Catalytic reduction of nitric oxide on Pt and Rh catalysts supported on alumina and titania synthesized by the sol-gel method

Platinum and rhodium supported on alumina and titania were synthesized by the sol-gel method. Characterization and catalytic activity for the reduction of nitric oxide by carbon monoxide was performed. In sol-gel ‘sintered/reduced catalysts’ a redispersion of the metal phase and higher resistance to sintering was observed. On the other hand, in the impregnated ‘sintered/reduced catalysts’, an important sintering effect was observed. The sol-gel ‘reduced catalysts’ and ‘sintered/reduced catalysts’ showed higher activity than that of impregnated reference catalysts, mainly when the titania is the support. Moreover, sol-gel preparations are more selective to N₂, whereas impregnated reference catalysts are selective to N₂O. The increase in dispersion and high resistance to sintering on sol-gel ‘sintered/reduced catalysts’ was interpreted as a surface migration effect of the metal particles buried in alumina and titania gels.     

Synthetic applications of nonmetal catalysts for homogeneous oxidations

Nonmetal oxidation catalysts have gained much attention in recent years. The reason for this surge in activity is 2-fold: On one hand, a number of such catalysts has become readily accessible; on the other hand, such catalysts are quite resistant toward self-oxidation and compatible under aerobic and aqueous reaction conditions. In this review, we have focused on five nonmetal catalytic systems which have attained prominence in the oxidation field in view of their efficacy and their potential for future development; stoichiometric cases have been mentioned to provide overview and scope. Such nonmetal oxidation catalysts include the alpha-halo carbonyl compounds 1, ketones 2, imines 3, iminium salts 4, and nitroxyl radicals 5. In combination with a suitable oxygen source (H2O2, KHSO5, NaOCl), these catalysts serve as precursors to the corresponding oxidants, namely, the perhydrates I, dioxiranes II, oxaziridines III, oxaziridinium ions IV, and finally oxoammonium ions V. A few of the salient features about these nonmetal, catalytic systems shall be reiterated in this summary. The first class entails the alpha-halo ketones, which catalyze the oxidation of a variety of organic substrates [figure: see text] by hydrogen peroxide as the oxygen source. The perhydrates I, formed in situ by the addition of hydrogen peroxide to the alpha-halo ketones, are quite strong electrophilic oxidants and expectedly transfer an oxygen atom to diverse nucleophilic acceptors. Thus, alpha-halo ketones have been successfully employed for catalytic epoxidation, heteroatom (S, N) oxidation, and arene oxidation. Although high diastereoselectivities have been achieved by these nonmetal catalysts, no enantioselective epoxidation and sulfoxidation have so far been reported. Consequently, it is anticipated that catalytic oxidations by perhydrates hold promise for further development, especially, and should ways be found to transfer the oxygen atom enantioselectively. The second class, namely, the dioxiranes, has been extensively used during the last two decades as a convenient oxidant in organic synthesis. These powerful and versatile oxidizing agents are readily available from the appropriate ketones by their treatment [figure: see text] with potassium monoperoxysulfate. The oxidations may be performed either under stoichiometric or catalytic conditions; the latter mode of operation is featured in this review. In this case, a variety of structurally diverse ketones have been shown to catalyze the dioxirane-mediated epoxidation of alkenes by monoperoxysulfate as the oxygen source. By employing chiral ketones, highly enantioselective (up to 99% ee) epoxidations have been developed, of which the sugar-based ketones are so far the most effective. Reports on catalytic oxidations by dioxiranes other than epoxidations are scarce; nevertheless, fructose-derived ketones have been successfully employed as catalysts for the enantioselective CH oxidation in vic diols to afford the corresponding optically active alpha-hydroxy ketones. To date, no catalytic asymmetric sulfoxidations by dioxiranes appear to have been documented in the literature, an area of catalytic dioxirane chemistry that merits attention. A third class is the imines; their reaction with hydrogen peroxide or monoperoxysulfate affords oxaziridines. These relatively weak electrophilic oxidants only manage to oxidize electron-rich substrates such as enolates, silyl enol ethers, sulfides, selenides, and amines; however, the epoxidation of alkenes has been achieved with activated oxaziridines produced from perfluorinated imines. Most of the oxidations by in-situ-generated oxaziridines have been performed stoichiometrically, with the exception of sulfoxidations. When chiral imines are used as catalysts, optically active sulfoxides are obtained in good ee values, a catalytic asymmetric oxidation by oxaziridines that merits further exploration. The fourth class is made up by the iminium ions, which with monoperoxysulfate lead to the corresponding oxaziridinium ions, structurally similar to the above oxaziridine oxidants except they possess a much more strongly electrophilic oxygen atom due to the positively charged ammonium functionality. Thus, oxaziridinium ions effectively execute besides sulfoxidation and amine oxidation the epoxidation of alkenes under catalytic conditions. As expected, chiral iminium salts catalyze asymmetric epoxidations; however, only moderate enantioselectivities have been obtained so far. Although asymmetric sulfoxidation has been achieved by using stoichiometric amounts of isolated optically active oxaziridinium salts, iminium-ion-catalyzed asymmetric sulf-oxidations have not been reported to date, which offers attractive opportunities for further work. The fifth and final class of nonmetal catalysts concerns the stable nitroxyl-radical derivatives such as TEMPO, which react with the common oxidizing agents (sodium hypochlorite, monoperoxysulfate, peracids) to generate oxoammonium ions. The latter are strong oxidants that chemoselectively and efficiently perform the CH oxidation in alcohols to produce carbonyl compounds rather than engage in the transfer of their oxygen atom to the substrate. Consequently, oxoammonium ions behave quite distinctly compared to the previous four classes of oxidants in that their catalytic activity entails formally a dehydrogenation, one of the few effective nonmetal-based catalytic transformations of alcohols to carbonyl products. Since less than 1 mol% of nitroxyl radical is required to catalyze the alcohol oxidation by the inexpensive sodium hypochlorite as primary oxidant under mild reaction conditions, this catalytic process holds much promise for future practical applications.     

负载型TEMPO催化剂研究进展

在均相催化体系中,小分子TEMPO是醇选择性氧化为相应醛和酮最重要的有机催化剂之一,但因价格昂贵且回收工艺复杂等因素限制了均相TEMPO催化剂的大规模应用。负载型TEMPO催化剂因在两相体系中易与产物分离实现回收再利用而备受关注。TEMPO催化剂的固载化处理有效实现TEMPO的回收再利用,经多次重复使用仍保持较高的催化活性,且催化剂载体的特性赋予其比均相催化更高的催化活性。根据载体不同,分别介绍固体颗粒负载型TEMPO催化剂(包括无机颗粒和有机非溶性聚合物颗粒)和可溶性聚合物负载型TEMPO催化剂应用于醇氧化的研究进展,并评价两类负载型TEMPO催化剂的优缺点,对负载型TEMPO催化剂的发展前景进行展望。     

醇类选择性催化氧化的研究进展

醇类选择性氧化制备相应羰基（醛或酮）化合物是有机合成中的重要反应。综述醇类选择性催化氧化的研究现状,主要有液均相氧化、液多相氧化和水/有机两相催化氧化,对所用催化剂发展状况和反应机理分别进行阐述。均相催化氧化催化剂难于从反应体系分离,造成成本过高,而且污染环境。大部分多相催化剂来自均相催化剂的负载,活性中心分布不均匀,结构不明确,存在活性组分易从载体上脱落和流失的现象,导致催化剂活性下降。以水作溶剂,不仅清洁无污染,且产物和催化剂容易分离,催化剂可以循环使用,从经济和环保角度值得大力推广,但该体系价格昂贵,反应条件不够温和,还需进一步改进。因此,多相催化氧化和水/有机两相催化氧化相对于均相催化剂有更广阔的发展和应用空间,是今后的研究方向。     

微反应器内基于氮氧自由基催化剂连续氧气/空气氧化反应的研究进展

连续液相氧气氧化技术代替传统氧化技术已经成为氧化反应发展的一大趋势。但是,分子氧通常需要被合适的催化剂进行活化后才能进行高选择性氧化。近年来,氮氧自由基催化剂因其能够在温和条件下高效地催化氧气氧化反应而取得了快速发展。此外,可持续的绿色氧化工艺不仅依赖于高效环保的催化体系,还需要依托能够强化传质和反应性能的反应器技术。本文介绍了连续微反应氧化技术中常用的微反应器,归纳总结了以氮氧自由基及其衍生物为催化剂的空气/氧气氧化反应在连续有机合成中的研究进展。最后,针对现阶段氮氧自由基催化的连续液相氧化技术的潜在挑战,对该技术在精细化工领域中的应用进行了展望。     

Readily Accessible Oxazolidine Nitroxyl Radicals: Bifunctional Cocatalysts for Simplified Copper Based Aerobic Oxidation

Using a two‐step procedure a range of bifunctional oxazolidine nitroxyl radicals have been prepared. The application of these co‐catalysts to the copper‐based aerobic oxidation of alcohols was then investigated. From these studies it was found that the parent tetramethyloxazolidine nitroxyl radical L1 was competent for oxidation in the presence of 2,2′‐bipyridine, and the bifunctional pyridyl‐containing nitroxyl radicals L2 and L3 could be used in the absence of additional coordinating ligands. Following optimization, the scope of this simplified transformation was explored, demonstrating that a range of primary and secondary benzylic alcohols are readily oxidized. In addition, the oxidation of allylic alcohols and hydroquinone can be achieved.     

氮氧自由基催化醇选择性氧化反应的研究进展

醇选择性氧化成醛或酮的反应是有机合成中一个重要的研究领域,氮氧自由基(NO·)具有强氧化性,在加快产物醛或酮转化的同时,能有效地防止酸生成,是当前研究较多的醇催化氧化反应活性中心之一。主要介绍了含NO·结构催化剂体系催化醇选择氧化反应的研究进展,对含氮氧自由基结构化合物组成的均相及多相催化剂体系进行了归类总结,分析了催化醇氧化反应的方法及工艺条件方法的优缺点及反应机理,并展望了今后的研究发展方向。     

SiliaCat ® TEMPO: An Effective and Recyclable Oxidizing Catalyst

Organically modified silica-based SiliaCat TEMPO is an oxidizing catalyst that can efficiently replace other homogeneous stable nitroxyl radicals. Its high activity, reusability, leach-proof properties, selectivity towards the oxidation of alcohols into aldehydes/ketones and its capacity to carry out the oxidation in either organic solvents or water, with or without KBr as co-catalyst, have shown that this material is green chemistry driven.     

Selective oxidation of alcohols with H2O2 catalyzed by long chain multi-SO3H functionalized heteropolyanion-based ionic liquids under solvent-free conditions

Two novel long chain multi-SO₃H functionalized heteropolyanion-based ionic liquids were prepared and characterized. They as homogeneous catalysts showed high catalytic activity in selective oxidation of alcohols with 35% aqueous hydrogen peroxide under solvent-free conditions without adding any phase transfer catalyst. Two ionic liquids can be recovered readily and reused five times without any significant loss in their catalytic activities.     

Catalyst performance for noble metal catalysed alcohol oxidation: reaction-engineering modelling and experiments

A reaction-engineering model is presented, which describes catalyst performance as a function of the catalyst activity profile, the reaction kinetics, and the degree of catalyst deactivation. With this model, the catalyst activity profile can be optimised for Pt catalysed methyl -D-glucopyranoside (slowly-reactive) and glucose (highly-reactive) oxidations. This is done by comparing modelling results with experimentally obtained data for catalysts of different activity distributions. Experiments in a semi-batch stirred reactor showed that for methyl -D-glucopyranoside (MGP) oxidation at oxygen partial pressures below 40 kPa, egg shell catalytic activity distribution gives a higher rate of oxidation than a uniform distribution. It was also observed that with increase in oxygen concentration from 10 to 40 kPa, the rate of deactivation due to catalyst over-oxidation increased dramatically. For glucose oxidation, both catalyst activity distributions give the same oxidation rate for all investigated oxygen partial pressures (5–100 kPa). The developed model adequately describes the observed experimental results of both reactions. It was found that the active metal particle size has a significant influence on the catalyst deactivation for MGP oxidation; the uniform catalyst with higher dispersion shows a higher deactivation rate than the egg shell catalyst. For modelling glucose oxidation, the effect of catalyst particle-to-bubble adhesion and higher diffusivity or partition coefficient for oxygen have to be taken into account.     

CeO2 Nanocrystalline-Supported Palladium Chloride: An Effective Catalyst for Selective Oxidation of Alcohols by Oxygen

The present paper reports on the use of CeO₂ materials supported palladium chloride catalyst for selectively oxidising organic alcohols into aldehydes. Spherical, microsized rod-shaped and spindle-like CeO₂ particles are synthesised and characterised by SEM. The catalysts are prepared by loading palladium chloride onto the CeO₂ support matrix. A complete characterization of the catalysts is performed. The activity of catalysts is studied by the selective oxidation of various alcohols. The results show that (1) the catalytic activities prepared by spherical cerium are superior to the catalysts prepared by spindle-like or rod-shaped cerium and (2) the catalyst PdCl₂/CeO₂ (nanospheres) show good activity, high yield, and good stability.     

精细化学品选择性催化合成的机遇与趋势

评述了当前精细化工生产中的环境导向趋势，在原子利用率与E-因子(副产物kg/产物kg)基础上对替换工艺作了比较讨论。应用替代铬的分子筛作为循环使用的固体催化剂用于苄基与烯丙基氧化，氧化仲醇为酮，以及烃基过氧化物的选择性分解。介绍了沸石包裹金属铬合物作为氧化一还原固体催化剂的新进展，在水为介质中钯(O)三磺酸三苯膦络合物作为羰基化催化剂的应用，以及支载水相催化剂在包括对映选择性氢化反应在内的各种工艺中的应用。     

Oxidation of H2S on activated carbon KAU and influence of the surface state

Properties of the oxidized activated carbon KAU treated at different temperatures in inert atmosphere were studied by means of DTA, Boehm titration, XPS and AFM methods and their catalytic activity in H₂S oxidation by air was determined. XPS analysis has shown the existence of three types of oxygen species on carbon catalysts surface. The content of oxygen containing groups determined by Boehm titration is correlated with their amount obtained by XPS. Catalytic activity of the KAU catalysts in selective oxidation of hydrogen sulfide is connected with chemisorbed charged oxygen species (O_3.1 oxygen type with BE 536.8–537.7 eV) present on the carbons surface.

Formation of dense sulfur layer (islands of sulfur) on the carbons surface and removal of active oxygen species are the reason of the catalysts deactivation in H₂S selective oxidation. The treatment of deactivated catalyst in inert atmosphere at 300 °C gives full regeneration of the catalyst activity at low temperature reaction but only its partial reducing at high reaction temperature. The last case is connected with transformation of chemisorbed charged oxygen species into CO groups.

The KAU samples treated in flow of inert gas at 900–1000 °C were very active in H₂S oxidation to elemental sulfur transforming up to 51–57 mmol H₂S/g catalyst at 180 °C with formation of 1.7–1.9 g S_x/g catalyst.     

Selective Oxidations on Recoverable Catalysts Assembled in Emulsions

Catalysts assembled in emulsions are found to be potentially recoverable and efficient for a number of catalytic reactions. The catalysts composed of polyoxometalate anions and quaternary ammonium cations have been designed and synthesized according to the catalytic reactions and by optimizing the structures of cations and anions. The catalysts act essentially as surfactants, which are uniformly distributed in the interface of the emulsion droplets, and accordingly behave like homogeneous catalysts. The catalysts show remarkable selectivity and activity in the oxidation of sulfur-containing molecules to sulfones in diesel and the selective oxidation of alcohols to ketones, using H₂O₂ as oxidant. For an example, the catalyst demonstrated over 96% efficiency of H₂O₂ and ˜100% selectivity to sulfones for the selective oxidation of sulfur-containing molecules in real diesel. Moreover, the catalysts can be separated and recycled by a simple demulsification and re-emulsification.