Immobilization of Ru(III) complex on silica: a heterogenized catalyst for selective oxidation of alcohols in water at room temperature

We have developed a heterogenized catalyst (‘SiO2’–NH2–RuIII) by the immobilization of [Ru(acac)2(CH3CN)2]PF6 on SiO2. The catalyst was characterized by SEM, solid state NMR, EPR, FT-IR, ICP, and BET surface area analyses. ‘SiO2’–NH2–RuIII catalyzed the selective oxidation of alcohols with periodic acid in water at room temperature. This protocol was applicable to the controlled oxidation of structurally diverse primary and secondary alcohols. The catalyst could be quantitatively recovered and reused up to six cycles without significant loss of catalytic activity.