Catalytic oxidation of glyoxal to glyoxalic acid over Au-Pd alloy nanoparticles on hydrotalcite

Synthesis of glyoxalic acid by selective oxidation of glyoxal at ambient temperatures with O₂ as an oxidant is an important problem. We found that gold nanoparticles supported on hydrotalcite (Au/HT) exhibit an appreciable catalytic activity for this reaction in the liquid phase. Moreover, Au-Pd/HT, prepared by the deposition-precipitation method is superior in the catalytic behavior to monometallic Au/HT and Pd/HT catalysts. Introduction of palladium enhances ability of the catalysts to oxidize carbonyl to carboxyl, weakens the power to rupture C-C bond and in this way improves the catalytic performance. Furthermore, the Au: Pd ratio also influences the properties of the alloy catalysts. The 1.5Au-1.5Pd/HT catalysts show the highest activity for the selective oxidation at ambient temperature producing glyoxalic acid in 13.4% yield at pH 7.7. Moreover, due to basic properties of hydrotalcite, glyoxalic acid could be synthesized over 1.5Au-1.5Pd/HT in 8.0% yield without adding a base. It is hoped that results of this study can fuel further research in designing new catalysts with alloy nanoparticles supported by hydrotalcite that can be used for the selective oxidation of other useful compounds.