Solid-State Oxidation of Alcohols in Gold-Coated Milling Vessels via Direct Mechanocatalysis

This paper presents a novel approach for the selective oxidation of alcohols to their corresponding aldehydes through direct mechanocatalysis, employing a gold-coated milling vessel as catalyst and air as the oxidation agent. By adjusting milling frequency, media, and duration, high catalytic efficiencies and selectivities are achieved. Remarkably, yields of up to 99 % are obtained for specific substrates, with a turnover number (TON) of 8200 and a turnover frequency (TOF) of 0.77 s^-1, surpassing existing alternatives. Confirmation of the catalytic reaction indeed occurring on the milling tool surface was achieved through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).