A (Z)-selective bimetallic catalyst for the 4-octyne hydrogenation

CECILIA R. LEDERHOS; MARÍA JULIANA MACCARRONE; JUAN M. BADANO; ÁGNES MASTALIR; JUAN C. YORI; MÓNICA E. QUIROGA

Congreso; Congreso EuropaCat X; 2011

The catalytic partial hydrogenation of acetylenes has been widely studied in the last years due to its academic and industrial interest. Products obtained from these reactions are useful in the synthesis of fine chemicals and biological active compounds. The objective of this work is to study the behavior of the bimetallic catalyst WPd/Al2O3 during the semi-hydrogenation of 4-octyne, a long chain non terminal alkyne. The high activity and selectivity of the WPd catalyst could be related to the interaction between the d and f electron orbitals of Pd and W. This interaction would favor the formation of a Pd-WOx/Al2O3 highly active interface with highly exposed Pd atoms. The bimetallic presents also the advantages of low Pd loading and low cost of the tungsten precursor, that provides a cheaper catalyst with high activity and selectivity toward the production of the desired product.