Development of novel heterogeneous cobalt acylpyrazolone catalyst: Synthesis, characterization and selective oxidation of styrene to benzaldehyde

Cobalt acylpyrazolone complex was prepared and characterized using various spectral methods, FT-IR, TGA, UV-visible, DRS, magnetic study, and single crystal XRD. A heterogeneous catalyst consisting of neutral alumina and cobalt complex was synthesized and characterized using various physicochemical methods and successfully applied to styrene oxidation without a solvent. The effects of the reaction variables (mole proportion of the reactant to hydrogen peroxide and TBHP, quantity of the catalyst, reaction period and reaction temperature) were investigated. No appreciable catalytic activity reduction occurred when the catalyst was utilised again. The catalyst's recycling is verified by infrared and diffuse reflectance spectra confirming that the catalyst was intact and not destroyed following the process. The work's unique feature is its benzaldehyde selectivity under benign reaction circumstances.