Abstract
Nickel(II) complexes have been synthesized and characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared spectroscopy, high resolution mass spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The complexes were evaluated as pre-catalysts in the direct hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol. The pre-catalysts C1 and C4 gave higher furfural conversion (97% and 96%, respectively), as a result, they were also evaluated in the transfer hydrogenation of furfural using formic acid as the hydrogen source where higher furfural conversion (93%) was obtained and selectivity (100%) toward the formation of furfuryl alcohol at 4 h. The catalyst C1 was recycled three times with and it was observed that the catalytic activity might be due to a mixture of both molecular catalysis and nanoparticles, as evidenced by the decrease in activity in mercury poisoning experiments. The hydrogenation reactions were also extended to alpha-β unsaturated substrates and were selective toward saturation of the carbonyl functionality over alkene groups.
Highlights
The complexes were evaluated as pre-catalysts in the direct hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol
furfuryl alcohol (FA) is a colorless or yellow liquid with mild odor that can be produced by the hydrogenation reaction of FF in the presence of a metal catalyst
The ligand was soluble in methanol, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, partially soluble in chloroform, acetonitrile, diethyl ether, and insoluble in hexane and water
Summary
The complexes were evaluated as pre-catalysts in the direct hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol. The rapid increase in population growth has resulted in increased use of fossil resources for both chemicals and energy production This has resulted in negative environmental impacts due to fossil fuel combustion and this, coupled with their steady depletion, has resulted in increased research efforts to find alternative renewable sources [1,2]. Furfural (FF), which is derived from plant biomass, is a good candidate platform molecule for fuels and chemical production [4]. FF is a furanic compound, derived from C5 sugars found in lignocellulosic biomass, which was discovered in 1831 by J Dobereiner after he used sulfuric acid to treat carbohydrates [5]. Chromium based catalysts are known to be toxic to the environment, highlighting the need for eco-friendly and efficient catalysts to promote this process
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