Selective aerobic oxidation of 1,3-propanediol to 3-hydroxypropanoic acid using hydrotalcite supported bimetallic gold nanoparticle catalyst in water

Abstract

Selective oxidation of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) to 3-hydroxypropanoic acid (3-HPA), an important industrial building block, was successfully achieved using hydrotalcite-supported bimetallic Au nanoparticle catalysts in water at 343 K under aerobic and base-free conditions. The highest yield of 42% with 73% selectivity towards 3-HPA was afforded by 1wt% Au 0.8 Pd 0.2 -PVP/HT catalyst.