This work reports the synthesis and catalytic application of mesoporous Au-loaded Mn3 O4 nanoparticle assemblies (MNAs) with different Au contents, i. e., 0.2, 0.5 and 1 wt %, towards the selective oxidation of anilines into the corresponding nitroarenes. Among common oxidants, as well as several supported gold nanoparticle platforms, Au/Mn3 O4 MNAs containing 0.5 wt % Au with an average particle size of 3-4 nm show the best catalytic performance in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as a mild oxidant. In all cases, the corresponding nitroarenes were isolated in high to excellent yields (85-97 %) and selectivity (>98 %) from acetonitrile or greener solvents, such as ethyl acetate, after simple flash chromatography purification. The 0.5 % Au/Mn3 O4 catalyst can be isolated and reused four times without a significant loss of its activity and can be applied successfully to a lab-scale reaction of p-toluidine (1 mmol) leading to the p-nitrotulene in 83 % yield. The presence of AuNPs on the Mn3 O4 surface enhances the catalytic activity for the formation of the desired nitroarene. A reasonable mechanism was proposed including the plausible formation of two intermediates, the corresponding N-aryl hydroxylamine and the nitrosoarene.
Keywords: gold; heterogeneous catalysis; manganese oxide nanostructures; nitroarenes; oxidation.
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