Electron-Poor Phosphines Enable the Selective Semihydrogenation Reaction of Alkynes with Pd on Carbon Catalysts
Jordi Ballesteros–Soberanas, Antonio Leyva‐Pérez
Abstract
An alternative to the Lindlar catalyst for the semihydrogenation reaction of alkynes to alkenes is of high interest. Here we show that palladium on carbon (Pd/C), i.e., a widely available supported Pd catalyst, is converted from an unselective to a chemoselective catalyst during the semihydrogenation reaction of alkynes, after the addition of catalytic amounts of commercially available electron-poor phosphines. The catalytic activity is ≤7 times greater, and the selectivity is comparable to that of the industrial benchmark Lindlar catalyst.
Topics & Concepts
CatalysisChemistryPalladiumSelectivityCombinatorial chemistryOrganic chemistryAsymmetric Hydrogenation and CatalysisCarbon dioxide utilization in catalysisOrganometallic Complex Synthesis and Catalysis