This book focuses on gold-based catalyst application in the selective oxidation carried out in the liquid phase. Since the first report on alcohol oxidation in 1998, a number of studies have been performed that highlight some peculiarity of gold compared with other metals. Some analogies have been found between the gas and the liquid phase, but the big challenge to operate in a condensed phase lies in the role of the solvent in tuning the reactant–catalyst contact. Liquid-phase oxidation is a specific topic that has various applications. Despite the importance of the gold catalyst in such a field, especially with respect to its peculiar activity, the majority of studies on gold catalyst have been devoted to gas-phase reaction. Only recently has the scientific community approached the gold-catalyzed liquid-phase oxidation in more detail. As a complete, exhaustive work that covers this still-emerging field and presents a rational state of the art, this book will be useful for researchers even not yet involved in this field.
About the Editors:
Laura Prati received her PhD in industrial chemistry in 1988. She became associate professor of inorganic chemistry at the Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy, in 2001. Her scientific interests focus principally on catalytic hydrogenation and oxidation reactions and specific design of heterogeneous catalysts. She has been involved in catalytic applications for gold since 1986.
Alberto Villa is assistant professor at the Università degli Studi di Milano. He received his PhD in industrial chemistry in 2007 from the Università degli Studi di Milano, where his thesis focused on the development of gold-based catalysts for liquid-phase reactions. He worked at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Gesellschaft of Berlin, with Prof. Robert Schlögl. His current research focuses on the development of heterogeneous catalysts for biomass transformation.
