Triphenylphosphine as Efficient Antidote for the Sulfur‐Poisoning of the Pd/C Hydrogenation Catalyst

Abstract

AbstractPd/C catalyst is a widely applied hydrogenation catalyst in organic synthesis for the reduction of many organic compounds. It has been reported that it suffers from sulfur poisoning. Herein we report that catalytic amounts of triphenylphosphine (TPP), which is also an usual poison to Pd/C, could greatly improve the catalytic performance of Pd/C in sulfur‐containing systems. The sulfur‐poisoned Pd/C catalyst can be activated when adding TPP. The characterizations show that TPP partly reduced the deactivated layer of palladium sulfide formed during the reaction at higher temperature, and expose the high active sites of metallic Pd to keep the hydrogenation process. TPP may promote the hydrogenation of nitro compounds and olefins in the presence of sulfur compounds, proving to be an efficient antidote for Pd/C hydrogenation catalyst poisoning.