Highly selective hydrogenation of acetophenone over supported amorphous alloy catalyst

Abstract

Alpha‐phenylethanol (PE) is an essential chemical in the field of medicine and synthetic perfumery. Therefore, in this work, we used a supported Ni–B–P amorphous alloy catalyst (Ni–B–P/SiO2) in the hydrogenation of acetophenone (AP) to α‐PE, which demonstrated excellent catalytic activity and selectivity, compared with Ni–B/SiO2 (KBH4 reduction of nickel salt). Ni–B–P/SiO2 exhibited a high AP hydrogenation conversion of approximately 99%, whereas the PE selectivity reached up to 94%, which is approximately 1.4‐fold higher than that of Ni–B/SiO2 (about 69%), thereby directly proving the unique inhibition of AP hydrogenation over hydrogenation of P in the Ni–B catalytic system. The doped P in Ni–B–P/SiO2 enhances the oxidation resistance and maintains the valence stability of Ni and B. Furthermore, sufficient experimental data were collected to determine the kinetic parameters. Based on the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model, we assumed that (i) AP and H2 compete for adsorption on Ni–B–P/SiO2; (ii) AP has strong adsorptive capacity on Ni–B–P/SiO2; and (iii) PE coverage on the catalyst was negligible. Then, the dynamic equation was derived, which indicated that experimental data agree well with the dynamic model. Finally, the activation energy was confirmed to be 50.73 KJ/mol. This report will open up an avenue for the industrialization of amorphous alloy catalysts.

Efficient Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Acetophenone to 1-Phenylethanol over Cu–Zn–Al Catalysts

“…A suitable catalyst is the key to improving the performance of the hydrogenation reaction. The catalysts used for AP hydrogenation with hydrogen gas as the hydrogen source can be roughly divided into two categories: precious-metal catalysts, such as Pd, − Pt, − and Rh, − and non-precious-metal catalysts, such as Ni, Co, and Cu . Although precious-metal catalysts have excellent catalytic activity, their preparation costs are relatively high and they simultaneously activate the benzene ring and carbonyl group of AP, resulting in poor selectivity for 1-PhE.…”

Catalyst characterization Ni-Sn nanoparticles supported in Al2O3and MgO: Acetophenone hydrogenation

“…The supported metallic catalysts often improve drastically when a small amount of a second metal is added, displaying not only an activity increase but also selectivity. 7,8 Selectivity can be improved with the addition of elements like P 9,10 or Sn 11,12 which can drastically increase the formation of the alcohol from the respective ketone. Tin has no substantial catalyst activity on itself in most reactions, due to its low interaction with H 2 , hydrocarbons, CO, and NO among others.…”