Fabricated Gamma-Alumina-Supported Zinc Ferrite Catalyst for Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Cyclic Ethers to Lactones
The aim of this work was to fabricate a new heterogeneous catalyst as zinc ferrite (ZF) supported on gamma-alumina (γ-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) for the conversion of cyclic ethers to the corresponding, more valuable lactones, using a solvent-free method and O<sub>2&l...
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/20/7192 |
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| author | Naaser A. Y. Abduh Abdullah A. Al-Kahtani Mabrook S. Amer Tahani Saad Algarni Abdel-Basit Al-Odayni |
| author_facet | Naaser A. Y. Abduh Abdullah A. Al-Kahtani Mabrook S. Amer Tahani Saad Algarni Abdel-Basit Al-Odayni |
| author_sort | Naaser A. Y. Abduh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The aim of this work was to fabricate a new heterogeneous catalyst as zinc ferrite (ZF) supported on gamma-alumina (γ-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) for the conversion of cyclic ethers to the corresponding, more valuable lactones, using a solvent-free method and O<sub>2</sub> as an oxidant. Hence, the ZF@γ-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst was prepared using a deposition–coprecipitation method, then characterized using TEM, SEM, EDS, TGA, FTIR, XRD, ICP, XPS, and BET surface area, and further applied for aerobic oxidation of cyclic ethers. The structural analysis indicated spherical, uniform ZF particles of 24 nm dispersed on the alumina support. Importantly, the incorporation of ZF into the support influenced its texture, i.e., the surface area and pore size were reduced while the pore diameter was increased. The product identification indicated lactone compound as the major product for saturated cyclic ether oxidation. For THF as a model reaction, it was found that the supported catalyst was 3.2 times more potent towards the oxidation of cyclic ethers than the unsupported one. Furthermore, the low reactivity of the six-membered ethers can be tackled by optimizing the oxidant pressure and the reaction time. In the case of unsaturated ethers, deep oxidation and polymerization reactions were competitive oxidations. Furthermore, it was found that the supported catalyst maintained good stability and catalytic activity, even after four cycles. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:00:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-acf1763b8f6149f997d8a3e3dd150806 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:00:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-acf1763b8f6149f997d8a3e3dd1508062023-11-19T17:34:06ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492023-10-012820719210.3390/molecules28207192Fabricated Gamma-Alumina-Supported Zinc Ferrite Catalyst for Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Cyclic Ethers to LactonesNaaser A. Y. Abduh0Abdullah A. Al-Kahtani1Mabrook S. Amer2Tahani Saad Algarni3Abdel-Basit Al-Odayni4Department of Chemistry, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Chemistry, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Chemistry, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Chemistry, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaRestorative Dental Sciences Department, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh 11545, Saudi ArabiaThe aim of this work was to fabricate a new heterogeneous catalyst as zinc ferrite (ZF) supported on gamma-alumina (γ-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) for the conversion of cyclic ethers to the corresponding, more valuable lactones, using a solvent-free method and O<sub>2</sub> as an oxidant. Hence, the ZF@γ-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst was prepared using a deposition–coprecipitation method, then characterized using TEM, SEM, EDS, TGA, FTIR, XRD, ICP, XPS, and BET surface area, and further applied for aerobic oxidation of cyclic ethers. The structural analysis indicated spherical, uniform ZF particles of 24 nm dispersed on the alumina support. Importantly, the incorporation of ZF into the support influenced its texture, i.e., the surface area and pore size were reduced while the pore diameter was increased. The product identification indicated lactone compound as the major product for saturated cyclic ether oxidation. For THF as a model reaction, it was found that the supported catalyst was 3.2 times more potent towards the oxidation of cyclic ethers than the unsupported one. Furthermore, the low reactivity of the six-membered ethers can be tackled by optimizing the oxidant pressure and the reaction time. In the case of unsaturated ethers, deep oxidation and polymerization reactions were competitive oxidations. Furthermore, it was found that the supported catalyst maintained good stability and catalytic activity, even after four cycles.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/20/7192cyclic etherstetrahydrofuransupported catalystlactonesaerobic oxidationoxygen |
| spellingShingle | Naaser A. Y. Abduh Abdullah A. Al-Kahtani Mabrook S. Amer Tahani Saad Algarni Abdel-Basit Al-Odayni Fabricated Gamma-Alumina-Supported Zinc Ferrite Catalyst for Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Cyclic Ethers to Lactones Molecules cyclic ethers tetrahydrofuran supported catalyst lactones aerobic oxidation oxygen |
| title | Fabricated Gamma-Alumina-Supported Zinc Ferrite Catalyst for Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Cyclic Ethers to Lactones |
| title_full | Fabricated Gamma-Alumina-Supported Zinc Ferrite Catalyst for Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Cyclic Ethers to Lactones |
| title_fullStr | Fabricated Gamma-Alumina-Supported Zinc Ferrite Catalyst for Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Cyclic Ethers to Lactones |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fabricated Gamma-Alumina-Supported Zinc Ferrite Catalyst for Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Cyclic Ethers to Lactones |
| title_short | Fabricated Gamma-Alumina-Supported Zinc Ferrite Catalyst for Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Cyclic Ethers to Lactones |
| title_sort | fabricated gamma alumina supported zinc ferrite catalyst for solvent free aerobic oxidation of cyclic ethers to lactones |
| topic | cyclic ethers tetrahydrofuran supported catalyst lactones aerobic oxidation oxygen |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/20/7192 |
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