Selective oxidation of styrene to acetophenone over supported Au-Pd catalyst with hydrogen peroxide in supercritical carbon dioxide

Selective oxidation of styrene to acetophenone has been investigated for the first time over Pd-Au catalysts with H2O2 in CO2 medium. The influence of the support on the catalytic activity and the product selectivity was investigated, and Al2O3 support showed the best catalytic performance in this system. The presence of CO2 medium could improve the oxidation of styrene to acetophenone and inhibit the formation of by-products. The influence of substituting groups in the aromatic rings of styrene was also discussed.