Functional group hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde to hydrocinnamyl alcohol over nickel-ruthenium containing hydrotalcite

Abstract

Functional group hydrogenation of α-β unsaturated aldehydes to fine chemicals is a potential process in organic synthesis. In this study, we demonstrate the complete functional group hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde (CAL) to hydrocinnamyl alcohol (HCOL) over magnesium aluminium hydrotalcite (MAHT) having bimetallic nickel/ruthenium (1.3% Ni and 0.74% Ru) species (MANR–HT). The catalyst shows complete conversion of CAL with 97.5% selectivity of HCOL at 150 °C and 1 MPa H2 pressure. The synergic effect of bimetallic Ni/Ru and basicity of the HT material facilitated the high catalytic activity of MANR–HT in the CAL hydrogenation. The catalyst also demonstrated comparable activity even after several runs.