Green Hydrogenation of C=C, C=O, and C=N Bonds in Water by Palladium‐Tin Bimetallic Nanoparticles

Abstract

The reduction of various functional groups under atmospheric H2 by Pd−Sn nanoparticles in water is reported. A broad set of C−C, C−O, and C−N multiple bonds were reduced using a catalyst loading of 0.56 mol % to give rise to a high yield of products up to 99 % and good tolerance with various substrates. Additionally, the bimetallic Pd−Sn system successively hydrogenated the olefinic double bond of α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds with selectivity up to 99 % demonstrating further its chemoselectivity. The catalyst is recyclable for up to five cycles with α‐methyl styrene as the substrate. However, with functionalized alkenes such as acrylic acid, the recyclability was poor.