(214b) Cyclooctene-Facilitated Low Temperature Aerobic Oxidation of Ethylbenzene with Solubilized Au Clusters Catalysts

Traditionally, a catalyst functions by direct interaction with reactants. In a new Extended Catalyst System (ECS), an intermediate produced by one catalytic reaction enables an independent reaction to proceed. An example is the coupled Au-initiated selective epoxidation of cyclooctene with the selective oxidation of ethylbenzene. Although oxidation of ethylbenzene could not proceed in the presence of either solubilized Au nanoclusters or cyclooctene, it occurred readily when both were present simultaneously. This combined system effectively extended the catalytic effect of Au. Reaction kinetics and spin trap experiments suggested that the cyclooctenyl peroxy and oxy radicals were responsible for initiating the ethylbenzene oxidation. ECS enables parallel reactions to proceed without constraints by stoichiometric relationships, offering new degrees of freedom in industrial hydrocarbon co-oxidation processes.