Water-resistant FLPs-polymer as recyclable catalysts for selective hydrogenation of alkynes

Abstract

The frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) have attracted much attention as hydrogenation catalysts due to their metal-free properties and considerable catalytic activity. However, the sensitivity to water and the difficulty of recycling greatly limit the practical application of FLPs catalysts. In the light of above problems, we innovatively present a strategy of using Lewis acid-base complex to construct water-resistant FLPs polymer via a direct Friedel-Crafts reaction knitting method. The B-P bond of the prepared FLPs-polymer reversibly breaks at elevated temperature, activating H2 to selectively reduce alkynes into alkenes with good conversion and selectivity. This water-resistant FLPs catalyst can not only be reused up to ten times, but also highlights excellent stability and high reactivity even in the presence of water. This work presents an example of how to bring water-tolerant and recyclable FLPs catalysts to the industrial catalysis.