ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Selective oxidation of alcohols to nitriles with high-efficient Co-[Bmim]Br/C catalyst system

Yu-Yan Xia, Qing-Yang Lv, Hua Yuan, and Jia-Yi Wang

Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, China

E-mail: yuanhua@wit.edu.cn

Received: 11 September 2020  Accepted: 8 March 2021

Abstract:

An efficient method for catalyzing the ammoxidation of aromatic alcohols to aromatic nitriles was developed, in which a new heterogeneous catalyst based on transition metal elements was employed, the new catalyst was named Co-[Bmim]Br/C-700 and then characterized by X-ray photo-electronic spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The reaction was carried out by two consecutive dehydrogenations under the catalysis of Co-[Bmim]Br/C-700, which catalytically oxidized the alcohol to the aldehyde, and then the aldehyde was subjected to ammoxidation to the nitrile. The catalyst system was suitable for a wide range of substrates and nitriles obtained in high yields, especially, the conversion rate of benzyl alcohol, 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol, 4-chlorobenzyl alcohol and 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol reached 100%. The substitution of ammonia and oxygen for toxic cyanide to participate in the reaction accords with the theory of green chemistry.

Keywords: Alcohol; Aldehyde; Ammoxidation; Co-[Bmim]Br/C; Nitrile

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-021-01593-z

Chemical Papers 75 (8) 3957–3964 (2021)