Highly effective and chemoselective hydrodeoxygenation of aromatic alcohols
Caiyun Xu, Haihong Wu, Zhanrong Zhang, Bingxiao Zheng, Jianxin Zhai, Kaili Zhang, Wei Wu, Xuelei Mei, Mingyuan He, Buxing Han
Abstract
, saturation of the aromatic ring) and excessive hydrogen consumption. Non-noble metal-based catalysts suffer from unsatisfied activity and selectivity and often require harsh reaction conditions. Herein, for the first time, we report chemoselective HDO of various aromatic alcohols with excellent selectivity, using porous carbon-nitrogen hybrid material-supported Co catalysts. The C-OH bonds were selectively cleaved while leaving the aromatic moiety intact, and in most cases the yields of targeted compounds reached above 99% and the catalyst could be readily recycled. Nitrogen doping on the carbon skeleton of the catalyst support (C-N matrix) significantly improved the yield of the targeted product. The presence of large pores and a high surface area also improved the catalyst efficiency. This work opens the way for efficient and selective HDO reactions of aromatic alcohols using non-noble metal catalysts.