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[Display omitted] • The typical intermediates in the oxidation process of toluene were obtainned by experiments and the formation paths were predicted. • The transition states of possible intermediates were searched and compared for the reaction energy and activation energy for every step. • The optimum formation path of benzaldehyde and benzoic acid was determined. Catalytic oxidation technology is still the mainstream technology of VOCs treatment at present, and it is of great significance to study the main active components of catalysts and clarify the evolution and transformation process of intermediate products in the catalytic process for clarifying the reaction mechanism and guiding the catalyst design. Pd was identified as the main active component in catalytic oxidation of toluene, and the important intermediate products in the degradation of toluene, i.e., benzaldehyde and benzoic acid, were obtained through experiment and In-situ DRIFT spectra. However, the specific evolution process of intermediates is difficult to observe experimentally. The conversion of toluene on Pd (1 1 1) surface was studied by DFT calculation. Benzaldehyde was the most stable intermediate and benzoic acid was the most stable energy state of the reaction products. Then the activation energies and reaction energies of all possible reaction paths from toluene to benzaldehyde or benzoic acid were calculated, and the only transition state was obtained. Two pathways for the formation of benzaldehyde and benzoic acid were identified, in which the oxidation reaction after dehydrogenation may be the common rate-determining step of the two pathways, with a maximum energy barrier of 0.80 eV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]