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Mechanistic Insight into the Catalytic Oxidation of Cyclohexane over Carbon Nanotubes: Kinetic and In Situ Spectroscopic Evidence
Author(s) -
Yang Xixian,
Wang Hongjuan,
Li Jing,
Zheng Wenxu,
Xiang Rong,
Tang Zikang,
Yu Hao,
Peng Feng
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201300676
Subject(s) - catalysis , carbon nanotube , cyclohexane , radical , photochemistry , chemistry , carbon fibers , graphene , materials science , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , composite number , engineering , composite material
As some of the most interesting metal‐free catalysts, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and other carbon‐based nanomaterials show great promise for some important chemical reactions, such as the selective oxidation of cyclohexane (C 6 H 12 ). Due to the lack of fundamental understanding of carbon catalysis in liquid‐phase reactions, we have sought to unravel the role of CNTs in the catalytic oxidation of C 6 H 12 through a combination of kinetic analysis, in situ spectroscopy, and density functional theory. The catalytic effect of CNTs originates from a weak interaction between radicals and their graphene skeletons, which confines the radicals around their surfaces. This, in turn, enhances the electron‐transfer catalysis of peroxides to yield the corresponding alcohol and ketone.