Solvent-Free and Metal-Free Oxidation of Toluene Using O2 and g-C3N4 with Nanopores: Nanostructure Boosts the Catalytic Selectivity

Solvent-free oxidation of the primary C–H bonds in toluene to benzaldehyde has been achieved by using the metal-free catalyst g-C3N4 and O2. It is the nanostructure of g-C3N4 that boosts the high selectivity by tuning the homogeneous oxidation to hetergeneous oxidation and capturing all free •O2– radicals to effectively suppress the overoxidation of aldehydes.