A facile selenization of ZrO2 endowing it with catalytic activity for oxidative alkene degradation†

Selenization of ZrO₂ can be easily performed by stirring commercially available ZrO₂ in an in situ prepared NaHSe solution. The produced material Se@/ZrO₂ could catalyse oxidative alkene degradation reactions, which are key transformations in the industry. Control experiments confirmed that selenium loaded onto ZrO₂ endowed it with good catalytic activity for oxidation reactions. In comparison with the density of other selenized catalytic materials such as Se/C, selenized silica and selenized polylactic acid, the density of Se@ZrO₂ is higher. This feature makes it easy to precipitate from the reaction solution, facilitating its convenient recovery and reutilization.