Abstract
Manganese oxide doped with silver nanoparticles was synthesised by co-precipitation method. The w/w percentage of silver was varied from 1 to 5 and was calcined at different temperatures. The oxidation catalytic properties of these materials were investigated for the conversion of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde using molecular oxygen as clean oxidant. It was observed that the calcination temperature and surface area of the catalyst play a significant role in the catalytic process. The w/w percentage of silver present in the catalyst affects the oxidation property. The catalyst 1% Ag-MnO2 displayed > 99% conversion and > 99% selectivity towards benzaldehyde. The derivatives of benzyl alcohol such as 4-methylbenzyl alcohol, 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol, 4-chlorobenzyl alcohol, 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol, 4-tert-butylbenzyl alcohol, 4-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl alcohol and 3-nitrobenzyl alcohol were also converted into corresponding aldehydes using the synthesised catalyst with high conversion and selectivity. Selectivity towards aromatic alcohols was also observed.