Selective Aerobic Oxidation of Methanol in the Coexistence of Amines by Nanoporous Gold Catalysts: Highly Efficient Synthesis of Formamides

Abstract

Holey gold: Highly selective aerobic oxidation of methanol over alkylamines was achieved with a reusable nanoporous gold (AuNPore) catalyst that was fabricated from a Au–Ag alloy (see figure). This excellent chemoselectivity enabled direct N-formylation of alkylamines from a mixture of methanol and amines. The remarkable catalytic activity was attributed to the synergistic effect between gold and the residual silver remaining in the AuNPore. As a service to our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting information supplied by the authors. Such materials are peer reviewed and may be re-organized for online delivery, but are not copy-edited or typeset. Technical support issues arising from supporting information (other than missing files) should be addressed to 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.