Selective Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols and Biomass-Derived Substrates
This research community focuses on the catalytic conversion of alcohols and sugar derivatives into high-value chemicals using molecular oxygen or hydrogen peroxide as oxidants, primarily for the production of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and bio-based materials.
The work centers on the development of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts, with a strong emphasis on supported gold, palladium, and platinum nanoparticles, as well as bimetallic systems. Recurring substrates include benzyl alcohols, glycerol, and glucose, which are oxidized to produce aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, and dicarboxylic acids such as adipic and gluconic acid. Key methodological themes involve selective aerobic oxidation in liquid phase, oxidative cleavage, and the optimization of catalyst activity and selectivity to minimize over-oxidation. The research frequently explores the interplay between metal-support interactions and the geometric or electronic effects of nanoparticle size to enhance catalytic efficiency and sustainability.
The community is most heavily represented in research involving Oxygen, Gold, and Ruthenium. It accounts for 0.3% of all tracked Oxygen research, 0.3% of Gold research, and 0.7% of Ruthenium research. Oxygen also contributes the highest absolute number of papers to this group, with 1,482 entries.
The community comprises 8,980 papers, with the highest publication volume in Tetrahedron Letters, The Journal of Organic Chemistry, and the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Recent work continues to explore bimetallic catalysis for alcohol oxidation, electrochemical methods for benzylic alcohol conversion, and the direct oxidation of glucose to glucaric acid using nanocatalysts.