Aerobic oxidation of diols to acetic acid in water

The aerobic oxidation of 1,2-propandiol and 2,3-butanediol in water in the absence and presence of a hetero-geneous PtCu-based catalysts has been carried obtaining acetic acid as the most abundant organic compound in solution. Catalytic reactions carried out with reaction intermediates in the absence of catalysts clearly showed that only the diol oxidation to the corresponding hydroxy ketone is PtCu-catalyzed, while the further oxidation is radical based.