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In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy combined with on-line catalytic measurements using FT-IR spectroscopy unequivocally identified that metallic palladium is the more active phase in the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol than palladium oxide. The aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol in cyclohexane at 50 degrees C was low over oxidized 0.5%Pd/Al2O3 and 5%Pd/Al2O3 catalysts. XANES and EXAFS showed that the catalysts in the as-received state were almost fully oxidized and no reduction of the palladium constituent was observed during time-on-stream. After in situ reduction by hydrogen-saturated cyclohexane, the catalysts were much more active (over 50 times) than before reduction. Both XANES and EXAFS uncovered that the palladium constituent was mainly in a reduced state under these conditions of high catalytic activity. This demonstrates that metallic palladium is the active phase for alcohol dehydrogenation.

Selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde with molecular oxygen over an alumina-supported palladium catalyst was performed with high rate at about 95% selectivity in supercritical carbon dioxide. The experiments in a continuous flow fixed-bed reactor showed that the pressure has a strong influence on the reaction rate. A marked increase of the rate (turnover frequency) from 900 h(-1) to 1800 h(-1) was observed when increasing the pressure from 140 to 150 bar. Video monitoring of the bulk fluid phase behavior and the simultaneous investigation by transmission and attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared spectroscopy at two positions of the view cell showed that the sharp increase in activity is correlated to a transition from a biphasic to a monophasic reaction mixture. In the single phase region, both oxygen and benzyl alcohol are dissolved in the supercritical CO2 phase, which leads to a reduction of the mass transport resistances (both in the external fluid film and in the catalyst pores) and thus to the high reaction rate measured in the catalytic experiments. The phase transition could be effectively and easily monitored by transmission and ATR-IR spectroscopy despite the small concentration of the dense liquid like phase. Deposition of the Pd/Al2O3 catalyst on the ATR-crystal at the bottom of the view cell allowed to gain insight into the chemical changes and mass transfer processes occurring in the solid/liquid interface region during reaction. Analyzing the shift of the upsilon2 bending mode of CO2 gave information on the fluid composition in and outside the catalyst pores. Moreover, the catalytic reaction could be investigated in situ in this spectroscopic batch reactor cell by monitoring simultaneously the reaction progress, the phase behaviour and the catalytic interface.

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High-pressure in situ X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data are reported during the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde in supercritical carbon dioxide over a Pd/Al(2)O(3) catalyst (shell impregnated). For this purpose, a continuous-flow system with a spectroscopic cell suitable for in situ X-ray absorption studies on heterogeneous catalysts up to 200 degrees C and 200 bar has been developed. Due to the high contribution of the dense fluid to the overall X-ray absorption, high stability of the process pressure is mandatory, particularly when recording EXAFS spectra. According to EXAFS and XANES results, the palladium particles were fully reduced after exposure to benzyl alcohol in scCO(2). In contrast to Pd-catalyzed liquid-phase oxidation, a higher oxygen tolerance of the catalyst was observed. Palladium was partially oxidized on the surface under typical reaction conditions (0.9 mol % benzyl alcohol/0.5 mol % O(2) in carbon dioxide), which gradually increased when the concentration of oxygen in the feed was raised. Both XANES and EXAFS data uncovered that palladium is mainly oxidized on the surface or within the outermost layers. These results are in accordance with simulations of the XANES data using the FEFF8.20 code (program for ab initio calculations on multiple scattering XAS) and EXAFS data fitting/simulation.

Cinnamyl alcohol was oxidized to cinnamaldehyde in a continuous fixed-bed reactor with molecular oxygen over an alumina-supported palladium catalyst in supercritical carbon dioxide modified with toluene. A strong dependence of the reaction performance on pressure and oxygen concentration in the feed was found. Optimization of the reaction conditions resulted in a higher catalytic activity than in liquid phase. At 120 bar, 80 °C, and double stoichiometric oxygen concentration, a turnover frequency of 400 h-1 at a selectivity of 60% to cinnamaldehyde was achieved. Spectroscopic investigations and the knowledge of the selectivity pattern turned out to be crucial for a deeper understanding of the reaction allowing a rational optimization. Under almost all experimental conditions (even at high oxygen concentration) hydrogenated byproducts, stemming from internal hydrogen transfer reactions, were detected in the effluent. This indicated that alcohol dehydrogenation is the first reaction step, further confirmed by spectroscopic investigations. In situ XANES and EXAFS uncovered that in the whole experimental range investigated the palladium constituent was mainly in a reduced state and that its surface could be oxidized only in the absence of cinnamyl alcohol in the feed. Bulk phase behaviour studies and investigations at the catalyst/fluid interface, performed by visual inspection and combined transmission and ATR-IR spectroscopy, uncovered that the reaction performed best in the biphasic region. Moreover, cinnamaldehyde and carbon dioxide but hardly any toluene and cinnamyl alcohol were detected inside the porous catalyst, evidencing a strongly different product composition inside the porous catalyst compared to the bulk phase.

Structural information has been gained during aerobic benzyl alcohol oxidation in ''supercritical'' carbon dioxide at 150 bar on alumina-supported palladium by X-ray absorption spectroscopy while monitoring simultaneously the performance of the catalyst. The reduction of the catalyst by benzyl alcohol could be monitored by the analysis of the near-edge region of the Pd K-edge. The palladium constituent was mainly in metallic state under operating conditions. Partial reoxidation was observed when only oxygen in ''supercritical'' carbon dioxide in the absence of alcohol was fed. The catalytic activity of the PdO x =Al 2 O 3 catalyst during benzyl alcohol oxidation was comparable to that in a conventional continuous fixed-bed reactor and depended on the oxygen concentration in the feed. The rate of alcohol conversion went through a maximum when the oxygen concentration was increased. At maximum rate, part of the palladium was in the oxidized state. Upon further increase of the oxygen concentration, the activity decreased because of the formation of surface palladium oxide. The reaction rate in ''supercritical'' carbon dioxide was strikingly higher than that observed for the corresponding liquid-phase oxidation.

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