Long-term stability of a 0.45% Au/TiO2 catalyst in the selective oxidation of glucose at optimised reaction conditions

The use of gold catalysts in the oxidation of glucose resulted in high selectivities (>95%) with respect to gluconic acid and very high catalytic activities were obtained. A catalyst with 0.45 wt.% Au supported on titania showed the best performance. The optimisation of the reaction conditions revealed that best results were obtained at a reaction temperature in a range of 40–60 °C and a pH value of 9. The Au/TiO2 catalyst can be re-used at least 17 times without loss of activity or change of the gold particle size.

Graphical abstractThe use of gold catalysts in the oxidation of glucose resulted in high selectivities (>95%) and very high activities. The optimisation of the reaction conditions revealed that best results were obtained at 40–60 °C and a pH value of 9. A 0.45% Au/TiO2 catalyst showed the best performance. It can be re-used at least 17 times without loss of activity or a change in gold particle size. Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide