Photocatalytic Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols on TiO₂: The Acceleration Effect of a Brønsted Acid

Abstract

Up to speed: Brønsted acids adsorbed onto TiO2 dramatically accelerated the photocatalytic oxidation of alcohols without any loss of selectivity (see scheme). This effect results from the decomposition of the Ti species, having a side-on peroxide, on the TiO2 surface. The decomposition is aided by the Brønsted acid, thereby regenerating the active Ti sites on the surface of the catalyst. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.