Solid Base Bi24O31Br10(OH)δ with Active Lattice Oxygen for Efficient Photo-oxidation of Primary Alcohols to Aldehydes.

Selective oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes by O2 instead of stoichiometric oxidants (e.g., Mn7+, Cr6+ and Os4+) is an important but challenging process. Most heterogeneous catalytic systems (thermal- and photo-catalysis) require noble metals or harsh reaction conditions. Here we show that the Bi24O31Br10(OH)δ photocatalyst is very efficient in selective oxidation of a series of aliphatic (carbon chain from C1 to C10) and aromatic alcohols to their corresponding aldehydes/ketones under visible light irradiation in air at room temperature, which would be challenging for conventional thermal- and light-driven processes. Representatively, high quantum efficiencies (71% and 55% under 410 and 450 nm irradiation) are reached for the oxidation of isopropanol. We propose that the outstanding performance of the Bi24O31Br10(OH)δ photocatalyst is associated with surface basic sites and active lattice oxygen that boost the dehydrogenation step in the photo-oxidation of alcohols.