Vanadium supported on highly ordered nanoporous silica (VOx-LUS-1) was synthesized and characterized by XRD, Nitrogen adsorption desorption isotherms and UV-visible spectrophotometer. Direct oxidation of benzene to phenol in liquid phase by H2O2 peroxide were examined by using various solvents (methanol, acetone, acetic acid, acetonitryl). The maximum yield (25%) and selectivity (73%) of the phenol produced were obtained in the presence of acetic acid. The catalyst can be reused for several times without any appreciable loss of activity.
