Gold-Based Catalysts - Transition Metal Catalysis in Aerobic Alcohol Oxidation - page 150

d n 4 r 4 n g | 3

Scheme 5.3 Schematic pathway of the two possible routes towards allyl alcohol

(from glycerol or crude oil) and the products from allyl alcohol aerobic
oxidation with gold-based catalysis.

5.4 Conclusion
Two decades have passed by since the discovery of the catalytic power of
gold. This marked a breakthrough in chemistry, especially in organic syn-
thesis, allowing catalyzed selective oxidations of a wide number of substrates
to be carried out to produce important chemicals under eco-friendly con-
ditions. The keystone is the nanometric scale: only when gold could be
applied as nanoparticles with diameters in the range 1-10 nm did its
extraordinary catalytic activity definitely come out and it still continues to
show more of this peculiarity. Gold, alone or alloyed with a second metal,
has turned out to be particularly effective in the selective oxidation of various
alcohols, as highlighted throughout this chapter. The progressive advances
in gold catalyst design, including effective bimetallic formulations, and the
proper tuning of the experimental conditions are increasingly shortening the
distance between bench experiments and industrial processes.

.

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