Liquid-phase oxidation of toluene by molecular oxygen over copper manganese oxides

Copper manganese oxides (Cu-Mn oxides) were prepared by coprecipitation method and characterized by several techniques, such as X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR). Catalytic activities of the Cu-Mn oxides were tested by the oxidation of toluene with molecular oxygen in liquid phase and solvent-free conditions. The molar ratio of Cu:Mn in catalyst was optimized to be 1:1 and thus the corresponding crystalline material was designated as Cu1.5Mn1.5O4.