The Catalytic Activity of “Naked” Gold Particles

Reducing size helps to oxidize: Unsupported gold particles behave as an efficient catalyst for the aerobic oxidation of glucose, showing a similar activity to enzymatic systems. The catalytic activity is inversely proportional to the particle diameter (d, see graph). With carbon-supported gold, no gold–support interaction is found; however, the use of a support avoids particle aggregation thus preserving the original activity for longer.