Au/Mg(OH)2: Highly efficient for selective oxidation of 1,2-propanediol to lactic acid with molecular oxygen

The catalytic oxidation of biomass-derived polyhydroxyl compounds provides an efficient and green route for biomass resource utility. Gold nanocrystals supported on Mg(OH) 2 were synthesized by sol-immobilization method, characterized by XRD, TEM, UV-vis DRS, and tested in the selective oxidation of 1,2-propanediol to lactic acid. The gold particle size and the ratio of Au to 1,2-propanediol strongly influenced the catalytic activity. Over Au/Mg(OH) 2 with the majority of gold particles concentrated in 14–18 nm, excellent catalytic performance with 94.4% conversion and 89.3% selectivity to lactic acid has been achieved under 0.3 MPa O 2 at 60 °C for 6 h.