Heterogeneously catalyzed selective oxidation constitutes an important
area of chemical industry. A major application is the functionalization of
hydrocarbons leading to monomers or modifiers used for synthesis of
polymers. Within the area of selective catalytic oxidation the optimization
of selectivity is the most important goal. In fact, increasing sustainability by
preventing the formation of waste is of enormous relevance in large-scale
processes. However, despite extensive research over the last decades hetero￾geneously catalyzed selective oxidation reactions are still poorly understood
due to the complex interplay of processes in different scales of time and
length and the multitude of disciplines involved.