Tert-butyl hydroperoxide decomposition as a descriptor for liquid-phase hydrocarbon oxidation over transition metal oxide-based catalysts: a screening study

Selective oxidation of hydrocarbons with environmentally friendly oxidizing agents is key to a sustainable future. Therefore, the development of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions using oxidants such as molecular oxygen and alkyl hydroperoxides is a promising approach. For the application of these oxidants on a large scale, highly active and selective catalysts must be developed, which requires a rapid screening of a large variety of materials. We report on a method that enables a volumetric quantification of the O2 amount evolved from the decomposition of alkyl hydroperoxides, which serves as a fast initial screening step for identifying effective catalysts for hydrocarbon oxidation reactions.