Ru modified Au catalysts for the selective oxidation of aliphatic alcohols

Gold catalysts have been modified by Ru. The sequential deposition of the metals produced very active catalysts for the liquid phase oxidation of aliphatic alcohols which differentiate very much from monometallic counterparts and depends on the order of the addition of the two metals. The typical selectivity showed by Ru catalysed aerobic oxidation of alcohol to aldehyde is maintained but the activity strongly depends on the structure of nanoparticles. Moreover the substrate and the experimental conditions greatly affected the catalyst activity. It appears that in all cases the most active bimetallic system showed a surface enriched by the less active component.