This review examines some aspects in the development of heterogenous catalysts for the oxyfunctionalization of light paraffins. Particular attention is devoted to the raction of paraffin oxydehydrogenation to olefins and of n-butane oxidation to maleic anhydride. Most catalyst compositions are based on vanadium oxide as the main component, and the peculiar properties of this element with respect to the catalytic performance are discussed. These properties are also examined in ligh of the stability of the product of partial oxidation towards consecutive unselective oxidation reactions, and with respect to the mechanism of paraffin activation.

The oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural was studied under mild reaction conditions using TiO₂-supported Au and Au–Cu catalysts synthesized from pre-formed nanoparticles. Bimetallic gold-copper catalysts display superior activity as compared to monometallic gold. Moreover, after reaction, the bimetallic Au–Cu catalysts can be recovered by filtration and reused without significant loss of activity and selectivity whereas gold materials are not stable. STEM-HAADF imagining and XEDS spectra obtained from bimetallic materials show that particles are homogeneous AuCu alloys. No AuCu ordering or segregation effects were noted from these analyses, and the Au:Cu ratio was quite consistent from particle-to-particle irrespective of its absolute size, proving the efficiency of the original method of synthesis utilized. Isolation effects of gold by copper in the alloy nanoparticles is imagined to play a pivotal role in the reaction. The effect of oxygen pressure, metal loading, reaction time, amount of base and temperature were studied in detail and a 99% yield of furandicarboxylic acid was achieved under optimized reaction conditions.