The selective reaction of one part of a bifunctional molecule is a fundamental challenge in heterogeneous catalysis and for many processes including the conversion of biomass-derived intermediates. Selective hydrogenation of unsaturated epoxides to saturated epoxides is particularly difficult given the reactivity of the strained epoxide ring, and traditional platinum group catalysts show low selectivities. We describe the preparation of highly selective Pd catalysts involving the deposition of n-alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer (SAM) coatings. These coatings improve the selectivity of 1-epoxybutane formation from 1-epoxy-3-butene on palladium catalysts from 11 to 94% at equivalent reaction conditions and conversions. Although sulphur species are generally considered to be indiscriminate catalyst poisons, the reaction rate to the desired product on a catalyst coated with a thiol was 40% of the rate on an uncoated catalyst. Interestingly the activity decreased for less-ordered SAMs with shorter chains. The behaviour of SAM-coated catalysts was compared with catalysts where surface sites were modified by carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons or sulphur atoms. The results suggest that the SAMs restrict sulphur coverage to enhance selectivity without significantly poisoning the activity of the desired reaction.

Deoxygenation is an important reaction in the conversion of biomass-derived oxygenates to fuels and chemicals. A key route for biomass refining involves the production of pyrolysis oil through rapid heating of the raw biomass feedstock. Pyrolysis oil as produced is highly oxygenated, so the feasibility of this approach depends in large part on the ability to selectively deoxygenate pyrolysis oil components to create a stream of high-value finished products. Identification of catalytic materials that are active and selective for deoxygenation of pyrolysis oil components has therefore represented a major research area. One catalyst is rarely capable of performing the different types of elementary reaction steps required to deoxygenate biomass-derived compounds. For this reason, considerable attention has been placed on bifunctional catalysts, where two different active materials are used to provide catalytic sites for diverse reaction steps. Here, we review recent trends in the development of catalysts, with a focus on catalysts for which a bifunctional effect has been proposed. We summarize recent studies of hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of pyrolysis oil and model compounds for a range of materials, including supported metal and bimetallic catalysts as well as transition metal oxides, sulfides, carbides, nitrides, and phosphides. Particular emphasis is placed on how catalyst structure can be related to performance via molecular-level mechanisms. These studies demonstrate the importance of catalyst bifunctionality, with each class of materials requiring hydrogenation and C-O scission sites to perform HDO at reasonable rates. OH R' RO Phenolics O OH R Acids O R Ketones and Aldehydes R" R'

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One key route for controlling reaction selectivity in heterogeneous catalysis is to prepare catalysts that exhibit only specific types of sites required for desired product formation. Here we show that alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers with varying surface densities can be used to tune selectivity to desired hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation products during the reaction of furfural on supported palladium catalysts. Vibrational spectroscopic studies demonstrate that the selectivity improvement is achieved by controlling the availability of specific sites for the hydrogenation of furfural on supported palladium catalysts through the selection of an appropriate alkanethiolate. Increasing self-assembled monolayer density by controlling the steric bulk of the organic tail ligand restricts adsorption on terrace sites and dramatically increases selectivity to desired products furfuryl alcohol and methylfuran. This technique of active-site selection simultaneously serves both to enhance selectivity and provide insight into the reaction mechanism.

The specificity of chemical reactions conducted over solid catalysts can potentially be improved by utilizing noncovalent interactions to direct reactant binding geometry. Here we apply thiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with an appropriate structure to Pt/Al2O3 catalysts to selectively orient the reactant molecule cinnamaldehyde in a configuration associated with hydrogenation to the desired product cinnamyl alcohol. While nonspecific effects on the surface active site were shown to generally enhance selectivity, specific aromatic stacking interactions between the phenyl ring of cinnamaldehyde and phenylated SAMs allowed tuning of reaction selectivity without compromising the rate of desired product formation. Infrared spectroscopy showed that increased selectivity was a result of favorable orientation of the reactant on the catalyst surface. In contrast, hydrogenation of an unsaturated aldehyde without a phenyl ring showed a nontunable improvement in selectivity, indicating that thiol SAMs can improve reaction selectivity through a combination of nonspecific surface effects and ligand-specific near-surface effects.