Abstract
Cr-SBA-16 mesoporous silica heterogeneous catalysts (Si/Cr = 7, 14, and 28) were successfully synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal method at low acidic medium. The catalysts were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption at 77 K, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and Diffuse Reflectance UV-Vis (DRS) Spectroscopies, Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Herein, Cr-SBA-16 catalysts are evaluated in the selective catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol derivatives using H2O2 as oxidant. From XPS and UV-Vis (DRS) spectroscopies the molar ratios between Cr6+/Cr3+ are found to increase versus chromium loading in the following order: Cr-SBA-16(28) < Cr-SBA-16(14) < Cr-SBA-16 (7). Hence the highest Cr6+ in tetrahedrally environment is observed for Si/Cr = 7. We demonstrated for the first time that the selective catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BzOH) using H2O2 over Cr-SBA-16 occurs through noncompetitive adsorption mechanism and the reaction is pseudo-first order to BzOH. The activity of the reaction depends on the symmetry of chromium species, herein, high activity is observed for tetrahedral chromium species in Cr-SBA-16(7). The absence of any chromium ions in the filtrate shows no chromium leaching from the silica framework. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.