Reaction Type

Species of interest

Examples

Advantage of gold

Oxidation / Selective Oxidation

(Chemical Processing)

Alcohols/ diols / polyols

Carbohydrates

Aminoalcohols

Dicarboxylic acids

- Glycerol (by-product of biosustainable fuel source) to chemical intermediates

- Glucose to gluconic acid (pharmaceutical / food industry)

- Cyclohexane to nylon precursors

- Direct activation of oxygen.

- No polluting by-products.

- Cleaner and more selective than current enzymatic processes.

Hydrogenation / Selective Hydrogenation

(Chemical Processing)

Dienes, trienes, alkynes

- Diene and alkyne removal from C₂ to  C₈₊ polymer feedstocks.

- More selective than current Pt,Pd,Ag,Ni systems.

Epoxidation

(Chemical Processing)

Alkenes

- Alkene to Epoxides

- Propene to Propene oxide

- Eliminates the use of organic peracids which are unsafe, corrosive, and costly and produce large amounts of waste.

Nitrate Reduction

(Industrial Pollution Control)

Nitrates / Nitrites in waste water

- NO3 to N2+ NH4 

- NO2 to N2+ NH4

- More active than PGM systems.