Insights into the nature of alumina-supported MnOOH and its catalytic performance in the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol

Synthesis and Characterization of CoxOy–MnCO3 and CoxOy–Mn2O3 Catalysts: A Comparative Catalytic Assessment Towards the Aerial Oxidation of Various Kinds of Alcohols

CoxOy–manganese carbonate (X%)(CoxOy–MnCO3 catalysts (X = 1–7)) were synthesized via a straightforward co-precipitation strategy followed by calcination at 300 °C. Upon calcination at 500 °C, these were transformed to CoxOy–dimanganese trioxide i.e., (X%)CoxOy–Mn2O3. A relative catalytic evaluation was conducted to compare the catalytic efficiency of the two prepared catalysts for aerial oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BzOH) to benzaldehyde (BzH) using O2 molecule as a clean oxidant without utilizing any additives or alkalis. Amongst the different percentages of doping with CoxOy (0–7% wt./wt.) on MnCO3 support, the (1%)CoxOy–MnCO3 catalyst exhibited the highest catalytic activity. The influence of catalyst loading, calcination temperature, reaction time, and temperature and catalyst dosage was thoroughly assessed to find the optimum conditions of oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BzOH) for getting the highest catalytic efficiency. The (1%)CoxOy–MnCO3 catalyst which calcined at 300 °C displayed the best effectiveness and possessed the largest specific surface area i.e., 108.4 m2/g, which suggested that the calcination process and specific surface area play a vital role in this transformation. A 100% conversion of BzOH along with BzH selectivity >99% was achieved after just 20 min. Notably, the attained specific activity was found to be considerably larger than the previously-reported cobalt-containing catalysts for this transformation. The scope of this oxidation reaction was expanded to various alcohols containing aromatic, aliphatic, allylic, and heterocyclic alcohols without any further oxidation i.e., carboxylic acid formation. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area analytical techniques were used to characterize the prepared catalysts. The obtained catalyst could be easily regenerated and reused for six consecutive runs without substantial decline in its efficiency.

Synthesis and Comparative Catalytic Study of Zirconia-MnCO3 or -Mn2O3 for the Oxidation of Benzylic Alcohols

We report on the synthesis of the zirconia-manganese carbonate ZrO_x(x   %)-MnCO₃ catalyst (where x=1-7) that, upon calcination at 500 °C, is converted to zirconia-manganese oxide ZrO_x(x   %)-Mn₂O₃ . We also present a comparative study of the catalytic performance of the both catalysts for the oxidation of benzylic alcohol to corresponding aldehydes by using molecular oxygen as the oxidizing agent. ZrO_x(x   %)-MnCO₃ was prepared through co-precipitation by varying the amounts of Zr(NO₃)₄ (w/w %) in Mn(NO₃)₂. The morphology, composition, and crystallinity of the as-synthesized product and the catalysts prepared upon calcination were studied by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. The surface areas of the catalysts [133.58 m² g^-1 for ZrO_x(1 %)-MnCO₃ and 17.48 m² g^-1 for ZrO_x(1 %)-Mn₂O₃ ] were determined by using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, and the thermal stability was assessed by using thermal gravimetric analysis. The catalyst with composition ZrO_x(1 %)-MnCO₃ pre-calcined at 300 °C exhibited excellent specific activity (48.00 mmolg^-1 h^-1) with complete conversion within approximately 5 min and catalyst cyclability up to six times without any significant loss in activity. The specific activity, turnover number and turnover frequency achieved is the highest so far (to the best of our knowledge) compared to the previously reported catalysts used for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. The catalyst showed selectivity for aromatic alcohols over aliphatic alcohols.

Ultrafine MnO2 nanoparticles decorated on graphene oxide as a highly efficient and recyclable catalyst for aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol

The highly active and selective aerobic oxidation of aromatic alcohols over earth-abundant, inexpensive and recyclable catalysts is highly desirable. We fabricated herein MnO2/graphene oxide (GO) composites by a facile in-situ growth approach at room temperature and used them in selective aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. TEM, XRD, FTIR, XPS and N2 adsorption/desorption analysis were employed to systematically investigate the morphology, particle size, structure and surface properties of the catalysts. The 96.8% benzyl alcohol conversion and 100% benzaldehyde selectivity over the MnO2/GO (10/100) catalyst with well dispersive ultrafine MnO2 nanoparticles (ca. 3nm) can be obtained within 3h under 383K. Simultaneously, no appreciable loss of activity and selectivity occurred after recycling use up to six times. Due to their significant low cost, excellent catalytic performance, the MnO2/GO composites have huge application prospect in organic synthesis.

Recent advances in heterogeneous selective oxidation catalysis for sustainable chemistry

Oxidation catalysis not only plays a crucial role in the current chemical industry for the production of key intermediates such as alcohols, epoxides, aldehydes, ketones and organic acids, but also will contribute to the establishment of novel green and sustainable chemical processes. This review is devoted to dealing with selective oxidation reactions, which are important from the viewpoint of green and sustainable chemistry and still remain challenging. Actually, some well-known highly challenging chemical reactions involve selective oxidation reactions, such as the selective oxidation of methane by oxygen. On the other hand some important oxidation reactions, such as the aerobic oxidation of alcohols in the liquid phase and the preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide in hydrogen, have attracted much attention in recent years because of their high significance in green or energy chemistry. This article summarizes recent advances in the development of new catalytic materials or novel catalytic systems for these challenging oxidation reactions. A deep scientific understanding of the mechanisms, active species and active structures for these systems are also discussed. Furthermore, connections among these distinct catalytic oxidation systems are highlighted, to gain insight for the breakthrough in rational design of efficient catalytic systems for challenging oxidation reactions.

Identification of Active Phase for Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol with Molecular Oxygen Catalyzed by Copper-Manganese Oxide Nanoparticles

Catalytic activity of copper-manganese mixed oxide nanoparticles (Cu/Mn = 1 : 2) prepared by coprecipitation method has been studied for selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol using molecular oxygen as an oxidizing agent. The copper-manganese (CuMn2) oxide catalyst exhibited high specific activity of 15.04 mmolg−1 h−1in oxidation of benzyl alcohol in toluene as solvent. A 100% conversion of the benzyl alcohol was achieved with >99% selectivity to benzaldehyde within a short reaction period at 102°C. It was found that the catalytic performance is dependent on calcination temperature, and best activity was obtained for the catalyst calcined at 300°C. The high catalytic performance of the catalyst can be attributed to the formation of active MnO2phase or absence of less active Mn2O3phase in the mixed CuMn2oxide. The catalyst has been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurement, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopies.

Manganese oxyhydroxide and oxide nanofibers for high efficiency degradation of organic pollutants

Ultrathin MnOOH nanofibers were synthesized on a large scale from diluted Mn(NO(3))(2) aqueous solution at room temperature. These MnOOH nanofibers were shape-reservedly converted into Mn(3)O(4) and MnO(2) nanofibers by post-heat treatment in air at 400 °C and 600 °C for 1 h, respectively. The morphology and crystalline structures of the nanofibers were characterized by electronic microscopes and x-ray diffraction. These nanofibers had good crystalline structures. These nanofibers were in bundles with a diameter of 25 nm composed of 3-5 nm fine crystalline nanofibers. The Mn(3)O(4) nanofibers had a specific surface area of 71 m(2) g(-1) and demonstrated highly catalytic degradation of the organic pollutant methylene blue with the assistance of H(2)O(2) at room temperature.