Selective oxidation of benzyl ethers to esters catalyzed by Cu2O/C3N4 with TBHP & oxygen as co-oxidants

A novel cuprous oxide carbon nitrogen composite material, Cu2O/C3N4, was designed and successfully synthesized. This nanocomposite exhibited superior catalytic performance in the selective oxidation of benzyl ethers to benzoates. Remarkably, the catalytic reaction proceeded efficiently at room temperature in an acetone solution, achieving good to excellent yields for various substrates. Notably, only 1.5 equivalents of TBHP were necessary for this reaction, which is below the stoichiometric requirement. Mechanistic studies revealed that oxygen in air collaborates with TBHP as a co-oxidant. Compared to prior research, the oxidation of benzyl ethers catalyzed by Cu2O/C3N4 offers not only a lower reaction temperature and simpler procedure but also a significant reduction in the required amount of TBHP.