New approach for highly selective hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanone: Combination of rhodium nanoparticles and cyclodextrins

•Rh nanoparticles/poly(acrylic) acid is the active catalyst for phenol hydrogenation.•The presence of cyclodextrin favors the cyclohexanone formation.•The inclusion complex formation has a crucial role for the cyclohexanone selectivity.•The use of polymer-bound cyclodextrin allows to obtain 100% cyclohexanone selectivity.

The effect of cyclodextrins on the activity and selectivity of a catalytic system based on rhodium nanoparticles stabilized by polyacrylic acid (PAA) in the hydrogenation of phenol in aqueous solution and ionic liquid was reported. It was found that the reaction medium and the nature of the cyclodextrin (CD) essentially affect the rate of reaction and the distribution of reaction products. The use of the system based on rhodium nanoparticles stabilized by cyclodextrins makes it possible to rapidly and efficiently prepare cyclohexanone from phenol with yields up to 100% under relatively mild conditions (1 h; T = 80°°C, p(H2) = 10–40 bars).

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