Catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol by Al^3<i>+</i><i> </i>doped manganese oxide of the type OMS-2 using molecular oxygen or air

1676-1679The oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde using molecular oxygen over manganese oxides of the type OMS-2 is reported. It is observed that Al3+- doped OMS-2 has significantly higher activity (~ 58%) as compared to pure OMS-2 (~ 43 %). The catalysts are characterized by XRD, IR, H+ ion exchangeability, thermal analysis, BET surface area and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) of ammonia. Catalytic activity depends on the ease of availability of lattice oxygen and presence of Mn4+/Mn3+ redox couple. The activity of the catalysts has been correlated with various physicochemical characteristics, like surface area and concentration of acid sites