The oxidative cleavage of trans-1,2-cyclohexanediol with O2: Catalysis by supported Au nanoparticles

This paper reports on the catalytic oxidative cleavage of trans-1,2-cyclohexanediol with air, catalysed by supported Au NPs, as one of the steps of a new adipic acid synthesis process. Catalysts proved to be active, with a moderate cyclohexanediol conversion and selectivity to adipic acid close to 70%. The reaction network included several steps in sequence, amongst which the key one is the oxidation of the diol into 2-hydroxycylohexanone, which is then oxidised by air – even in the absence of a catalyst – to adipic acid and lesser amounts of lighter acids, i.e. glutaric and succinic acids. The oxidation of the second hydroxyl moiety in the diol would lead to the formation of 1,2-cyclohexanedione. The latter, however, is rapidly transformed into several by-products, especially glutaric acid, under the basic conditions which are necessary for allowing the reaction to occur at an acceptable rate. With Au-based catalysts, this undesired reaction occurs much more slowly than with the previously investigated Ru hydroxide catalysts. The nature of the support, either TiO2or MgO, also affected catalytic performance; the best performance was shown by the Au/MgO catalyst which, however, suffered from a remarkable deactivation, found to be due to both the increase in NPs size and the formation of carbonaceous residua on the catalyst surface.