Dehydration of 1,5-pentanediol over bixbyite Sc2-xYbxO3 catalysts

Vapor-phase dehydration of 1,4- and 1,5-alkanediols was investigated over three scandium ytterbium mixed oxides, Sc2-xYbxO3 (x = 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5), to produce the corresponding unsaturated alcohols. In the dehydration of 1,5-pentanediol, Sc0.5Yb1.5O3 was more active than simple rare earth oxides such as Sc2O3, Lu2O3, Yb2O3, and Tm2O3. The selectivity to 4-penten-1-ol surpassed 80 mol% over the Sc2-xYbxO3 catalysts. The highest formation rate of 4-penten-1-ol was obtained at x = 1.5 and affected by lattice parameter of cubic bixbyite Sc2-xYbxO3. In the dehydration of 1,4-butanediol, however, Tm2O3 was the most active among the catalysts.

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► Sc2-xYbxO3 show catalytic activity in the dehydration of 1,5-pentanediol into 4-penten-1-ol.
► Sc2-xYbxO3 show the selectivity to 4-penten-1-ol higher than 80 mol%.
► The highest formation rate of 4-penten-1-ol was obtained by Sc0.5Yb1.5O3.
► The formation rate of 4-penten-1-ol is related to the lattice parameter of Sc2-xYbxO3.