Sabatier‐Senderens Reduction

Abstract

Sabatier and Senderens established nickel‐based hydrogenation and converted the unsaturated organic molecules into corresponding saturated compounds by passing the vapor of organic molecules and hydrogen over hot, finely divided nickel and is know as Sabatier–Senderens reduction. Purity of nickel and reaction temperature are the most critical parameters for this reaction. This reaction is different from reductions using nascent hydrogen as the reducing agent, such as amalgam of sodium in alcohol (alkaline condition) and or zinc or tin with hydrochloric acid (acidic medium). Further the study finds the successful conversion of oleic acid into stearic acid, acetone to isopropanol, carbon monoxide into methane or a gaseous mixture rich in methane, phenol and p ‐cresol into cyclohexanol and p ‐methylcyclohexanol, etc. It is also found that the reduced cobalt, iron, copper, and powdered platinum have catalytic activities similar to nickel and reduce the naphthalene into tetralin.

Earth-Abundant Heterogeneous Cobalt Catalyst for Selective Ring Hydrogenation of (Hetero)arenes and Gram-Scale Synthesis of Pharmaceutical Intermediates

“…Selective hydrogenation reactions using transition-metal-based heterogeneous catalysts are industrially important processes and a key chemical tool permitting the introduction of hydrogen atom(s) in a variety of molecular structures, including complex functionalities. − Although these reactions are clean and atom-economical, controlling the selectivity in a precise manner is a key challenge. , Hence, the development of new and durable catalysts that show not only high catalytic activity but also selective reactivity of a specific functional moiety in the presence of others is highly desired . Ever since the pioneering work of Sabatier and Senderens in 1912 for the reductive transformations over nickel catalysts, , selective hydrogenation of unsaturated compounds has undergone impressive developments, and a large number of heterogeneous metal catalysts have been developed. , The routinely applied ones are the supported Ir, Rh, Pt, Pd, and Ru, along with Raney Ni and Cu catalysts. , These heterogeneous catalysts also enable the hydrogenation of (hetero)­arenes and preserve a few functional groups, but they are sometimes unselective with multifunctional and complex molecules, leading to unwanted selectivity or side products. , …”