Oxidation of n-heptane over Functionalised Chromium/Silver Bimetallic Heterogeneous Catalyst

Rice husk ash silica bimetallic heterogeneous catalyst loaded with 5 wt% chromium and 5 wt% silver was synthesised via a simple sol-gel, template free method at pH 3. The energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis confirmed the presence of chromium and silver in the silica catalyst. The X-ray diffractogram showed that the catalyst was semi-crystalline. The catalyst exhibited a high specific surface area of 429 m² g^–1 and a narrow pore size distribution. The catalytic activity of RHA-5Cr5Ag was tested in the liquid phase oxidation of n-heptane in the presence of H2O2 as oxidant and acetonitrile as solvent at 353K. The catalyst was found to be active in the oxidation of n-heptane with a high n-heptane conversion of 89.54% with good selectivity towards heptanones. The products obtained from the oxidation of n-heptane were identified as 2-heptanone, 3-heptanone, 4-heptanone, 1-heptanol, 2-heptanol, 3-heptanol, 4-heptanol and heptanal.