A silver NP-dispersed water extract of fly ash as a green and efficient medium for oxidant-free dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohols

Herein, a green, efficient, and new catalytic system for dehydrogenative oxidation of benzyl alcohols using Ag nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed in water extract of fly ash (WEFA) has been developed. Various characterization techniques were performed to authenticate the formation of Ag@WEFA. The as-prepared Ag NPs (10–20 nm) were found to be dispersed in WEFA, as indicated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. With Ag@WEFA, a variety of substituted benzyl alcohols were efficiently converted to carbonyl compounds in high yields. All the reactions were deliberately carried out without using any ligand or hazardous organic solvent. This catalytic system involving WEFA is a genuinely new concept. It is, therefore, expected to attract attention from researchers working in the areas of sustainable chemistry.