Aerobic oxidation of alcohols using various types of immobilized palladiumcatalyst: the synergistic role of functionalized ligands, morphology of support, and solvent in generating and stabilizing nanoparticles

Abstract

Preparation and characterization of a variety of immobilized palladium catalyst, based on either ligand functionalized amorphous or ordered mesoporous silica, is described. The resulting Pd-loaded materials act as efficient catalyst for the oxidation of a variety of alcohols using molecular oxygen and air. Our studies show that in the case of supported palladium catalyst on hybrid amorphous silica, the nature of ligand and the solvent could effectively control the generation of nanoparticles. Furthermore, we have found that nanoparticles with smaller size and higher activity were generated from the anchored palladium precursor when the aerobic oxidation of alcohols was carried out in α,α,α-trifluorotoluene (TFT) instead of toluene. On the other hand, in the case of aerobic oxidation reactions by using supported palladium catalyst on hybrid SBA-15, the combination of organic ligand and ordered mesoporous channels resulted in an interesting synergistic effect that led to enhanced activity, prevention of Pd nanoparticles agglomeration, and finally generation of a durable catalyst.