In which region can these properties of the fluid be tuned more simply - near the critical point or at higher pressure/temperature (consider the critical constants and the results of 5.2)?
The oxidation of alcohols by molecular oxygen in supercritical carbon dioxide, e.g. the oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde, is a supercritical process. The reaction takes place in the presence of a Pd/Al2O3 catalyst with a selectivity of 95%.