ABSTRACT
Within the academic and industrial communities the selective oxi-
dation of oxygen-containing organic compounds, such as alcohols,
polyols, and aldehydes, primarily for the production of fine and
specialty chemicals, remains a high priority. The main issue with
the current industrial methods for these synthetic processes is
the utilization of stoichiometric inorganic reagents. Due to the
toxicity, waste, and corrosion problems associated with these
inorganic reagents, these approaches are no longer acceptable
from an environmental point of view. Preventing the use of
toxic materials and substituting these routes with environmentally
friendly processes, thus minimizing the formation of waste, remains
one of the key objectives of modern-day research. The utilization
of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts as alternatives to
achieving these objectives is highly desirable. On an industrial level,
it is preferable to develop heterogeneous catalysts that can be more
easily recovered and recycled on a process level with a prolonged
lifetime. Furthermore the use of green oxidants such as molecular
oxygen or peroxides (organic and inorganic) is highly desirable
since in this way the reduction of chemical waste associated with
inorganic oxidants, such as K2Cr2O7, can be achieved [1-4].
