Oxidant-free dehydrogenation of alcohols over hydrotalcite-supported Au nanoparticles

摘要

Introduction The conversion of alcohols to carbonyl compounds is one of the most essential transformations in organic synthesis. A number of catalysts have been developed for the selective oxidation of alcohols by O2 or H2O2 to replace the stoichiometric oxidations using dichromate or permanganate from the viewpoint of green chemistry. With respect to atom economy, the dehydrogenation of alcohols to aldehydes (or ketones) and H2 without a H2 acceptor is a more desirable route. The acceptorless dehydrogenation of alcohols is also of interest for H2 storage [1]. However, only very few catalysts have shown satisfactory performances for this process. Recently, we have demonstrated for the first time that supported Au nanoparticles could catalyze the dehydrogenation of alcohols to very efficiently [2]. Herein, we report our detailed studies on the effects of the properties of the support and the size of Au nanoparticles on catalytic behaviors. The catalyst requirements for the oxidant-free dehydrogenation of alcohols are also discussed in terms of reaction mechanism.