Highly efficient catalytic production of oximes from ketones using in situ–generated H ₂ O ₂

Abstract

The ammoximation of cyclohexanone using preformed hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is currently applied commercially to produce cyclohexanone oxime, an important feedstock in nylon-6 production. We demonstrate that by using supported gold-palladium (AuPd) alloyed nanoparticles in conjunction with a titanium silicate-1 (TS-1) catalyst, H₂O₂ can be generated in situ as needed, producing cyclohexanone oxime with >95% selectivity, comparable to the current industrial route. The ammoximation of several additional simple ketones is also demonstrated. Our approach eliminates the need to transport and store highly concentrated, stabilized H₂O₂, potentially achieving substantial environmental and economic savings. This approach could form the basis of an alternative route to numerous chemical transformations that are currently dependent on a combination of preformed H₂O₂ and TS-1, while allowing for considerable process intensification.