Recent work on the alcohol oxidation over Au has demonstrated that the oxidation occurs through direct reaction with hydroxyl groups from the alkaline medium. These hydroxyl groups act as both nucleophiles and Br�nsted bases in the selective oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid and isotopic labeling studies have confirmed the source of oxygen in the acid products as the solvent, rather than the gaseous O2, which is necessary for the reaction to proceed. However, these mechanisms assume a significant proportion of hydroxide on the catalyst surface, which won't be present at low/neutral pH. While Au is not active without NaOH present as a promoter, Pd and Pt do show oxidation activity, at lower rates. This work investigates the changes in the mechanism at these neutral / slightly acidic conditions.

pH-Dependent mechanism of aqueous phase alcohol oxidation over supported metal catalysts

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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