Vapor phase synthesis of cyclopentanone over nanostructured ceria–zirconia solid solution catalysts

The present study was undertaken to develop a novel and easy practical approach for synthesis of cyclopentanone, a versatile industrial ingredient. Accordingly, ceria–zirconia based nano-oxide catalysts, namely, CexZr1−xO2 and CexZr1−xO2/M (M = SiO2 and Al2O3) were prepared and evaluated for the title reaction. The physicochemical characterization has been achieved using different techniques, namely, XRD, BET surface area, XPS, Raman, OSC, and HREM. The catalytic results revealed that CexZr1−xO2 based nano-oxides are promising heterogeneous catalysts for synthesis of cyclopentanone. Amongst, the CexZr1−xO2/Al2O3 catalyst exhibited ∼100% conversion with 75% desired cyclopentanone product selectivity owing to its favorable physicochemical characteristics.