Angewandte Chemie | 2021
Commercial Cu2Cr2O5 Decorated with Iron Carbide Nanoparticles as Multifunctional Catalyst for Magnetically Induced Continuous Flow Hydrogenation of Aromatic Ketones.
Abstract
Commercial copper chromite is decorated with iron carbide nanoparticles using a simple and versatile method, producing a magnetically activable multifunctional catalytic system. This system (ICNPs@Cu 2 Cr 2 O 5 ) is able to reduce aromatic ketones to aromatic alcohols when exposed to a high frequency alternating current magnetic field, i.e. magnetic induction. Under magnetic excitation, the ICNPs generate locally confined hot spots, activating selectively the Cu 2 Cr 2 O 5 surface while the global temperature of the reaction mixture remains low (~ 80°C). The ICNPs@Cu 2 Cr 2 O 5 catalyst selectively hydrogenates a scope of benzylic and non-benzylic ketones under these mild conditions (3 bar H 2 , heptane), while ICNPs@Cu 2 Cr 2 O 5 or Cu 2 Cr 2 O 5 are inactive when the same global temperature is adjusted by conventional heating. A flow reactor is presented allowing the combined use of magnetic induction for continuous-flow hydrogenation at elevated pressure. The excellent catalytic properties of ICNPs@Cu 2 Cr 2 O 5 for the hydrogenation of biomass-derived furfuralacetone are conserved for at least 17 hours on stream, demonstrating for the first time the application of a magnetically heated catalyst to a continuously operated hydrogenation reaction in the liquid phase. The reported approach for the decoration of solid materials with magnetically activated nanoparticles may be applied to a wide range of heterogeneous catalysts, generalizing the access to potential advantages associated with magnetic induction in catalysis.