Synfacts 2005(2): 0215-0215  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-916092
Synthesis of Materials and Unnatural Products
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Polymer-Stabilized Gold Nanoclusters for Aerobic Alcohol Oxidation

Contributor(s): Yasuhiro Uozumi, Ray Kawade
H. Tsunoyama, H. Sakurai, Y. Negishi, T. Tsukuda*
Institute for Molecular Science, okazaki, Japan
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
25 October 2005 (online)

Significance

The gold nanoclusters (NCs) stabilized by poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) were prepared by reduction of HAuCl4 with NaBH4 in the presence of PVP. The Au:PVP-1 NCs (d av = 1.3 nm) catalyzed the oxidation of benzylic alcohols 1 at 300 K in water under air to give the corresponding aldehydes 2 and/or carboxylic acids 3. Kinetic measurements demonstrated that smaller Au NCs (Au:PVP-1, 1.3 nm) exhibit higher catalytic activity than larger NCs (Au:PVP-2, 9.5 nm), or Pd:PVP NCs of comparable size (1.5 nm and 2.2 nm).