Selective aerobic oxidation of cyclic ethers to lactones over Au/CeO2 without any additives.

Selective oxidation of ethers to lactones with O2 as a benign oxidant using Au/CeO2 as the catalyst has been developed. The oxygen vacancies and Au0 species on the surface of CeO2 contribute to the activation of O2. The excellent selectivity of lactones is due to the adsorption of ethers and activation of the C(sp3)-H bond on Au/CeO2.