Catalytic Oxidation of 1,2-Propanediol

1,2-Propanediol (propylene glycol) is a biobased diol derived from glycerol or carbohydrate feedstocks and serves as a versatile platform for the synthesis of value-added chemicals, notably lactic acid, dihydroxyacetone and pyruvaldehyde. Catalytic oxidation of 1,2-propanediol typically proceeds under mild to moderate temperatures (80–150 °C) and low to moderate oxygen pressures (1–5 bar), employing heterogeneous metal catalysts supported on oxides, carbonaceous materials or mixed‐metal composites. Reaction pathways encompass initial dehydrogenation of one hydroxyl group to form hydroxypropanal, followed by C–C bond scission, rearrangement or further oxidation steps. Control of oxygen activation, proton transfers and surface‐adsorbed intermediates dictates product distribution. Key challenges include enhancing selectivity towards targeted products, maintaining catalyst stability against sintering or leaching and improving atom efficiency via single‐atom and bimetallic designs. Advances in operando spectroscopies and computational modelling are clarifying mechanistic details, while novel supports and promoter strategies are driving practical performance gains. The global imperative for sustainable chemical processes and biomass valorisation accentuates the importance of optimising catalytic oxidation of 1,2-propanediol for industrial deployment.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated that atomically dispersed platinum on ceria supports exhibits exceptional selectivity for lactic acid under aqueous alkaline conditions. Operando infrared and X-ray absorption spectroscopies reveal that isolated Pt sites facilitate concerted C–C bond cleavage and hydroxyl migration, suppressing overoxidation. A complementary investigation into nickel–iron layered double hydroxide catalysts employed synchrotron X-ray techniques to track lattice oxygen participation during 1,2-propanediol oxidation. These findings establish a Mars–van Krevelen pathway as dominant and highlight the role of redox‐active lattice oxygen in fine-tuning product selectivity. Together, these works underscore the power of combining single‐atom catalyst design with in situ characterisation to unravel structure–function relationships in diol oxidation chemistry.

Catalytic Oxidation of 1,2-Propanediol publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in catalytic oxidation of 1,2-propanediol across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Turnover frequency (TOF): Number of catalytic cycles per active site per unit time, indicating intrinsic activity.

Selectivity: Proportion of reactant converted into the desired product rather than by-products, expressed as a percentage.

Atomically dispersed catalyst: Catalyst in which single metal atoms are isolated on a support, maximising metal utilisation and distinct active sites.

Mars–van Krevelen mechanism: Oxidation pathway in which lattice oxygen from the catalyst participates directly in substrate oxidation and is subsequently replenished by gas-phase O₂.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs): Cylindrical carbon nanostructures composed of multiple concentric graphene layers, used as high-surface-area supports.

References

1. Highly Selective Oxidation of 1,2-Propanediol to Lactic Acid Using Pd Nanoparticles Supported on Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes. Catalysts (2025).