Highly selective transfer hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds using Cu-based nanocatalysts

Simultaneous dehydrogenation of cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone and hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds to corresponding α,β-unsaturated alcohols was carried out in a single pot reaction without addition of any external hydrogen donor. Cu nanoclusters supported on nanocrystalline MgO were found to be the active catalyst for the chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of unsaturated carbonyl compounds to produce the corresponding alcohols with very high yields. Transfer hydrogenation of cyclohexanol and cinnamaldehyde produced cyclohexanone and cinnamyl alcohol with 100% selectivity. This Cu/MgO catalyst can be easily recovered and recycled up to more than five times without any significant loss of activity, which confirmed the true heterogeneous nature of this catalyst. Several α,β-unsaturated compounds were also tested for this reaction and it was found that for all the cases the yield is >95%. The ease of handling without requiring high pressure H₂ or a hazardous hydrogen source makes this transfer hydrogenation more practical and useful.