V.sub.2O.sub.5 Anchored RuO.sub.2: An Efficient Nanocatalyst for Aerial Oxidation of Alcohols

RuO.sub.2/V.sub.2O.sub.5 nanocatalyst has been prepared from Ru(acac).sub.3 and V.sub.2O.sub.5 by a simple dry synthesis for the first time. The formation of RuO.sub.2/V.sub.2O.sub.5 nanocatalyst was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR analyses. Morphology and size of the nanocatalyst were found using SEM and TEM respectively. SEM-EDS analysis was carried out to know the weight percentage of Ru in the catalyst. Thermal stability of the catalyst was found using TG/DTA analysis. Further, RuO.sub.2/V.sub.2O.sub.5 was found to be an efficient catalyst for the aerial oxidation of alcohols to their corresponding carbonyl compounds. Moreover, very low Ru content (0.36 mol%) was exploited for this conversion, nevertheless very high turnover number was observed. The use of recyclable nanocatalyst and atmospheric oxygen as oxidant made the system interesting from the green chemistry point of view.