Platinum nanoparticles supported on titania as an efficient hydrogen-transfer catalyst

Platinum(0) nanoparticles supported on titania have been prepared by impregnation of a commercial TiO2 support with an aqueous solution of H2PtCl6 and further reduction under flowing H2 at 473 or 773 K. These materials, with a low platinum loading, have been found to effectively catalyze the reduction of acetophenone by hydrogen transfer, using isopropanol as the hydrogen donor, in the presence of potassium hydroxide at 349 K. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a supported platinum catalyst has been successfully used in the transfer hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds with isopropanol. Both catalysts could be reused several times, with the one reduced at 773 K exhibiting better catalytic performance than that reduced at 473 K.