Abstract

Photo catalytic oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds amongst various organic transformations is important due to its significant role in the synthesis of a variety of fine chemicals, confectionaries, fragrances, and pharmaceuticals. This Study explores the Comparative Photo catalytic activity of synthesized Zinc oxide and Zinc doped Titanium oxide, for the photo catalytic oxidation of aromatic alcohol to aldehyde. Un-doped and doped zinc oxide (Zn-doped TiO2 photo catalyst) were prepared using hydrothermal method. The photo catalytic performance of the synthesized photo catalyst was evaluated for the conversion of Benzyl alcohol to Benzyl aldehyde. Powdered X-Ray Diffractometer was used to characterize the synthesized product. Gas Chromatography - Flame ionization Detector was employed to access the photo catalytic conversion activity of Benzyl alcohol (BA) via UV-Visible irradiation. It was possible to achieve about 40% conversion of the alcohol and 80% of selectivity of the products. This research further enlightens comparative view of using hydrothermally synthesized Zinc oxide and Zn-TiO2 as photo catalyst in the organic synthesis of aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzyl alcohol, where Zinc doped titanium oxide yields more Selectivity of the product compared to the un-doped photo catalyst.