Selective Styrene Oxidation to Benzaldehyde over Recently Developed Heterogeneous Catalysts

The selective oxidation of styrene under heterogeneous catalyzed conditions delivers environmentally friendly paths for the production of benzaldehyde, an important intermediate for the synthesis of several products. The present review explores heterogeneous catalysts for styrene oxidation using a variety of metal catalysts over the last decade. The use of several classes of supports is discussed, including metal-organic frameworks, zeolites, carbon materials and silicas, among others. The studied catalytic systems propose as most used oxidants tert-butyl hydroperoxide, and hydrogen peroxide and mild reaction conditions. The reaction mechanism proceeds through the generation of an intermediate reactive metal-oxygen species by catalyst-oxidant interactions. Overall, most of the studies highlight the synergetic effects among the metal and support for the activity and selectivity enhancement.

Automated summary

The selective oxidation of styrene under heterogeneous catalyzed conditions using metal catalysts and various supports has been shown to enhance activity and selectivity, with the generation of intermediate reactive species during the reaction. Tert-butyl hydroperoxide and hydrogen peroxide are commonly used oxidants in the studied catalytic systems.