New approaches to designing selective oxidation catalysts: Au/C a versatile catalyst

Selective oxidation is of key importance in the synthesis of chemical intermediates. For many years a number of oxides and supported metal catalysts have been used. The key questions involved in the design of selective oxidation catalysts are discussed in the initial part of this paper. One of the most exciting recent developments in the field of selective oxidation has been the discovery that supported gold catalysts are active. The second part of the paper discusses Au/C catalysts, which are shown to be particularly versatile for oxidation reactions. Four examples of selective oxidation are described using molecular oxygen as oxidant: (a) selective oxidation of glycerol to glycerate in the presence of base; (b) the oxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanol and cyclohexanane in the presence of a radical initiator; (c) the oxidation of hydrogen to hydrogen peroxide, and (d) the oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde under solvent free conditions. In contrast, the Au/C catalysts are not active for oxidation of carbon monoxide at ambient temperature. These examples demonstrate that there exists a rich potential for Au/C as a selective oxidation catalyst and that research efforts should now be focussed on selective oxidation using supported gold catalysts.