Self-assembly preparation of Au/SiO2 catalyst and its catalysis for cyclohexane oxidation with air

Au/SiO2 catalysts were prepared by self-assembly technique and characterized by EDS, XRD, XPS, AAS and N-2 adsorption/desorption. They were found to be very efficient catalysts for the selective oxidation of cyclohexane with air in the absence of any solvent or promoter. The influences of Au loading, reaction temperature, reaction pressure and reaction time on the catalytic activity were explored in detail. Under suitable reaction conditions, the conversion of cyclohexane and total selectivity of cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol were up to similar to 10 and similar to 92%, respectively.