An on-line FTIR study of the liquid-phase hydrogenation of 2-butanone over Pt/Al2O3 in d8-toluene: The importance of anhydrous conditions

Liquid-phase heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of 2-butanone over Pt/Al2O3 was performed in anhydrous d8-toluene with on-line FTIR measurements and further perturbations of water. The hydrogenation rates of both 2-butanone and solvent d8-toluene were strongly affected by the presence of water and unusual spectral changes were observed after the perturbations of reactant and water. It is suggested that hydrogen bonding is responsible for the unusual spectral changes. The marked decrease in the reaction rates and the unusual spectral changes, taken together, seem to suggest that anhydrous experiments are important both for preparative studies as well as kinetic and mechanistic studies of the un-activated simple ketone hydrogenation over Pt/Al2O3 (i.e. 2-butanone) and should be implemented when possible.

Graphical abstractLiquid-phase heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of 2-butanone over Pt/Al2O3 was performed in anhydrous d8-toluene with on-line FTIR measurements and further perturbations of water. The hydrogenation rates of both 2-butanone and the solvent d8-toluene were strongly affected by the presence of water and unusual spectral changes were observed. Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide