Heterogeneous Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of ketones with H2O2/nitrile, using Mg/Al hydrotalcite as catalyst

We synthesized a magnesium-aluminium hydrotalcite and used it as a catalyst in the Baeyer-Villiger (BV) oxidation of cyclohexanone with a mixture of 30% aqueous hydrogen peroxide and benzonitrile as oxidant. The hydrotalcite proved an excellent catalyst for the process. The influence of experimental variables was examined in depth in order to bring the working conditions as close as possible to those usable on an industrial scale. We optimized the cyclohexanone/hydrogen peroxide/benzonitrile proportion and used various nitriles, solvents and amounts of catalyst, benzonitrile and methanol proving the most effective nitrile and solvent, respectively, for the intended purpose. The reaction was found to occur to an acceptable extent with other carbonyl compounds as substrates; by exception, α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds provided poor results by effect of their undergoing competitive epoxidation of their double bonds.