H-2-Free Selective Dehydroxymethylation of Primary Alcohols over Palladium Nanoparticle Catalysts

摘要

The dehydroxymethylation of primary alcohols is a promising strategy to transform biomass-derived oxygenates into hydrocarbon fuels. In this study, a novel, highly efficient, and reusable heterogeneous catalyst system was established for the H-2-free dehydroxymethylation of primary alcohol using cerium oxide-supported palladium nanoparticles (Pd/CeO2). A wide range of aliphatic and aromatic alcohols including biomass-derived alcohols were converted into the corresponding one-carbon shorter hydrocarbons in high yields in the absence of any additives, accompanied by the production of H-2 and CO. Pd/CeO2 was easily recovered from the reaction mixture and reused, retaining its high activity, thus, providing a simple and sustainable methodology to produce hydrocarbon fuels from biomass-derived oxygenates.