Scientists from the N.S. Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IONKH RAS) and Volgograd State Technical University have created new precursors for hydrogenation catalysts based on copper(II) complexes with furancarboxylic acids and aminopyridines. The researchers found that the structure of the initial complex makes it possible to control the structure of the catalytic surface and thereby change the activity, selectivity and stability of the catalyst.
Hydrogenation is widely used in organic synthesis, petrochemistry and oil refining. Catalysts based on precious metals such as platinum, palladium, rhodium and ruthenium are usually used in such processes. One of the tasks of modern chemistry is to create more accessible catalytic systems capable of operating at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure of hydrogen.
The researchers obtained several complex compounds of copper(II) with 2- and 3-furancarboxylic acids and aminopyridines, differing in the spatial arrangement of ligands: cis- and trans-forms. Experiments have shown that the structure of the precursor affects the size and distribution of the metal copper particles formed, and hence the properties of the future catalyst.
"Colleagues from VolgSTU conducted experiments on the hydrogenation of dicyclopentadiene under continuous process conditions and the reduction of nitrobenzene under periodic conditions. For continuous hydrogenation of dicyclopentadiene, the best results were shown by a sample with a finer copper distribution based on 3-furancarboxylic acid, which demonstrated 100% selectivity for the selective reduction product at 48% conversion with good flow stability. Hydrogenation of nitrobenzene in the liquid phase using sodium borohydride as a hydrogen source showed that catalysts based on 2-furancarboxylic acid demonstrated a 100% yield of aniline during three catalytic cycles," commented one of the authors of the study, a leading researcher at the Laboratory of Chemistry of Coordinated Polynuclear Compounds of IONKH RAS, Doctor of Chemical Sciences Irina Lutsenko.
Thus, the scientist notes, the chemical composition and spatial structure of the initial complex make it possible to influence the formation of the catalyst surface in advance and select it for a specific process. This approach is promising for energy-efficient hydrogenation processes operating at atmospheric hydrogen pressure.
In the future, the authors plan to modify the most efficient catalytic surfaces with rare earth elements. This can increase the dispersion of the metal phase and further increase the catalytic activity.
The study was carried out with the financial support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation within the framework of the state task.
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