Activity of gold catalysts in the liquid-phase oxidation of o-hydroxybenzyl alcohol

Gold catalysts prepared by impregnation of HAuCl4 on Fe2O3, ZnO, CaO, and Al2O3 and aged in a solution of Na2CO3 (IWI/Na2CO3 method) are able to catalyze the oxidation of o-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (salicylic alcohol) under mild conditions. The reaction rate is even higher than that using analogous catalysts prepared by co-precipitation. Salicylic aldehyde is the main reaction product with a selectivity > 90% at 90% conversion. The influence of the reaction conditions on the catalytic activity is also discussed.