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Abstract:
Selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes is widely applicable to the synthesis of various green chemicals. The poor chemoselectivity for complicated primary aldehydes over state-of-the-art metal-free or metal-based catalysts represents a major
obstacle for industrial application. Bucky nanodiamond is a potential green catalyst that exhibits excellent chemoselectivity
and cycling stability for the selective oxidation of primary alcohols in diverse structures (22 examples, including aromatic,
substituted aromatic, unsaturated, heterocyclic, and linear chain alcohols) to their corresponding aldehydes. The results
are comparable to reported transition-metal catalysts including conventional Pt/C and Ru/C catalysts for certain substrates
under solvent-free conditions. The possible activation process of the oxidant and substrates by the surface oxygen groups
and defect species are revealed with model catalysts, ex situ electrochemical measurements, and ex situ attenuated total reflectance. The zigzag edges of sp2 carbon planes are shown toplay a key role in these reactions.
