Co-oxidation of octane and benzaldehyde using molecular oxygen with Au–Pd/carbon prepared by sol-immobilisation

Abstract

The selective oxidation of linear alkanes with molecular oxygen under mild conditions remains a challenging topic in the field of catalysis. In this study we investigate the co-oxidation of C–H bonds in substrates with different relative reactivities, the aim being to couple the oxidised products in situ to form the corresponding esters. Initial attempts were made to co-oxidise octane with toluene to form octyl benzoate using Au–Pd catalysts. During the study the oxidation of octane in the presence of benzaldehyde, an oxidation product of toluene, was also investigated in order to demonstrate the potential feasibility of the reaction. This work summarises our attempts to show whether a co-oxidation system could be an effective way to oxidise linear alkanes.