Vanadium Oxide‐Nitride Composites for Catalytic Oxidative C−C Bond Cleavage of Cyclohexanol into Lactones with Dioxygen

Abstract Selective catalytic oxidative C−C bond cleavage with dioxygen is useful and challenging to prepare oxygenated fine chemicals. Herein we fabricated vanadium oxide–nitride composites as catalysts via a facile thermal treatment process, and the surface composition could be tuned by the thermal treatment temperature, which could affect catalytic oxidation of cyclohexanol significantly. By using such a V−N−C composite prepared at 500 °C, cyclohexanol could be selectively oxidized with dioxygen into lactones including δ‐valerolactone and γ‐butyrolactone, rather than common dicarboxylic acids. Cyclohexanone and 2‐cyclohexen‐1‐one were verified as two key intermediates. V 3+ species in the form of vanadium nitride and vanadium (III) oxide were detected, and well dispersed on amorphous carbon with a low degree of graphitization. These findings will provide a reference for catalytic oxidative C−C bond cleavage with molecular oxygen under mild reaction conditions.