Preparation of the CuCr2O4 spinel nanoparticles catalyst for selective oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde

CuCr2O4 spinel nano. particles with size between 30 and 60 nm were prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis method in the presence of a surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide ( CTAB). It was found that the catalyst is highly active in the selective oxidation of toluene with H2O2 at 75 degrees C. The catalyst was characterized by XRD, ICP-AES, XPS, BET-surface area, SEM, TEM and EXAFS. Factors effecting reaction parameters, such as the substrate to oxidant molar ratio, weight of the catalyst, reaction time, etc., were investigated in detail. The investigation revealed that the size of the catalyst as well as the spinel phase plays a crucial role in the activity by favoring the oxidation of toluene. The reusability of the catalyst was examined by conducting repeat experiments with the same catalyst; it was observed that the catalyst displayed no significant changes in its activity even after 5 reuses. A toluene conversion of 57.5% with 84.4% selectivity towards benzaldehyde was observed after 10 hours over the CuCr2O4 spinel nanoparticles catalyst.