Cellulose-supported Pd nanoparticles: effective for the selective oxidation of glucose into gluconic acid

Cellulose-supported on Pd nanoparticles (Pd/cellulose) were successfully prepared by chemical reduction technique and characterized by various experimental tools. The Pd/cellulose catalyst was found to effectively promote the oxidation of glucose into gluconic acid under mild conditions. The base played a crucial role in the oxidation of glucose into gluconic acid. Glucose was fully converted at room temperature after 3 h by the use of stoichiometric amount of Na2CO3 to neutralize gluconic acid, and gluconic acid was obtained in a high yield of 91.2%. The catalyst was recovered from product and reused up to five times without significant loss in its catalytic activity.