title: Tailoring the catalytic performance of sol-gel-encapsulated tetra-n-propylammonium perruthenate (TPAP) in aerobic oxidation of alcohols.
abstract: Sol-gel nanohybrid silica particles organically modified and doped with the ruthenium species tetra-n-propylammonium perruthenate (TPAP) are highly efficient catalysts for the selective oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl groups with O(2) at low pressure in toluene. The materials are easily prepared by a one-step sol-gel process, and their catalytic performance can be optimised by tailoring the conditions of their synthesis by hydrolytic co-polycondensation of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and alkyltrimethoxysilanes R-Si(OMe)(3) in the presence of TPAP. Eventually, heterogeneous catalysts considerably more active than the unsupported perruthenate were obtained, while also being leach-proof and recyclable. The correlation between the materials' activity, surface polarity and textural properties suggests valuable information on the chemical behaviour of sol-gel catalytic materials in oxidation catalysis; this is of interest in view of the importance of efficient solid catalysts for the selective oxidation of alcohols with O(2).
authors.affiliation: Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, CNR, via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy, Fax: (+39) 091-680-93-99.
authors.forename: Rosaria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ciriminna
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pagliaro