Preparation of the Au/TiO₂ Catalyst for the Oxidation of 2-Phenylethyl Alcohol using a Cacumen Platycladi Extract as a Reducing Agent

A Supported gold catalyst was prepared by reduction of HAuCl₄ with the Cacumen Platycladi extract. This catalyst was then used for oxidation of 2-phenylethyl alcohol in a model reaction. Our study evaluated the effect of various preparation conditions, including the Au loading ratio and calcination temperature. Additionally, we explored the influence of the reaction temperature and reaction time on the catalytic performance of a Au/TiO₂ catalyst. Our experimental findings revealed notable results for the Au/TiO₂ catalyst characterized by the Au loading of 1.3 wt % and calcinated at 400°C. Under specific reaction conditions (0.3 g catalyst, 220°C, 3.0 MPa, 2.5 h), the conversion of 2-phenylethyl alcohol reached 45.3 and a 59.6% selectivity and a 27.0% yield of the target product (phenylacetaldehyde). In addition, catalytic performance remained stable after 8 repeated uses.