Control of the Chemoselectivity in the Oxidation of Geraniol Over Lanthanum, Titanium and Niobium Catalysts Supported on Mesoporous Silica MCM-41

The selective catalytic oxidation of geraniol with hydrogen peroxide over lanthanum, titanium and niobium catalysts supported on mesoporous silica MCM-41 has been investigated. Among the various catalysts studied, Nb-MCM-41 showed an excellent selectivity for allylic epoxide. In contrast, La-MCM-41 and Ti-MCM-41 catalysts exhibited high selectivity to citral. Catalyst’s characterization and activity results clearly demonstrated that the differences in the product distribution were due to the presence of different acid sites and the better coordination of oxidant with the catalyst used. All the catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms at 77 K, TPD-pyridine and XRD.