Ni-Zn supported defective carbon with multi-functional catalytic sites for Baeyer-Villiger reaction using air as oxidant

The development of economic catalysts for aerobic oxidation procedure has attracted extensive attention. In this work, a novel Ni/Zn supported defective carbon with multi-functional catalytic sites was fabricated via a two-step pyrolysis-H2O2 treatment. The catalyst was applied to the Baeyer-Villiger (B-V) oxidation using ambient air as a green and safe oxidant. The catalyst with optimal Ni/Zn ratio of (2:1) delivers a high catalytic activity (>92%) and perfect selectivity (>99%) for the conversion of a wide range of substituted cyclic-ketones to the corresponding lactones. The characterization results have clarified that the H2O2 treatment leads to the formation of active N/O-group on the catalyst surface, which facilitates the adsorption of substrate/intermediate molecules and benefits the reaction. Moreover, the synergistic effect between multi-functional sites results in the buffering/stabilizing of free radicals, enhanced efficiency of oxygen insertion to form lactone. The design principle in this work is believed to shed light on the exploration of all-in-one solid catalyst for diverse oxidative reaction. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

Ni/Zn supported defective carbon catalyst with multi-functional catalytic sites was synthesized via a two-step pyrolysis-H2O2 treatment, showing high catalytic activity and selectivity for Baeyer-Villiger oxidation. The H2O2 treatment led to the formation of active N/O-group on the catalyst surface, facilitating substrate adsorption and reaction efficiency. The synergistic effect between multi-functional sites enhanced oxygen insertion efficiency for lactone formation, providing insight for exploring versatile solid catalysts for oxidative reactions.