Gold & silver nanoparticles supported on manganese oxide: Synthesis, characterization and catalytic studies for selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol

Nano-gold and silver particles supported on manganese oxide were synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The catalytic properties of these materials were investigated for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol using molecular oxygen as a source of oxygen. The catalyst was calcined at 300, 400 and 500 degrees C. They were characterized by electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and surface area. It was observed that the calcination temperature affects the size of the nanoparticle, which plays a significant role in the catalytic process. The catalyst calcined at 400 degrees C, gave a 100% conversion and > 99% selectivity, whereas catalysts calcined at 300 and 500 degrees C gave a conversion of 69.51% and 19.90% respectively, although the selectivity remains > 99%. (C) 2014 King Saud University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.