Isopropanol as a hydrogen source for single atom cobalt-catalyzed Wacker-type oxidation

Abstract

The first example of a heterogeneous cobalt catalytic system for Wacker-type oxidation catalyzed by a single atom dispersed Co–N/C catalyst using alcohol as the hydrogen source under an oxygen atmosphere is presented. By combining a well-designed, controlled experiment and various methods of characterization, we determined that single atom cobalt was the active center rather than nanoparticle or oxide counterparts.