A highly efficient Cu/La2O3catalyst for transfer dehydrogenation of primary aliphatic alcohols

Abstract

La₂O₃-supported copper nanoparticles are sufficiently active for transfer dehydrogenation of primary aliphatic alcohols to aldehydes. When used for 1-octanol, the yield of 1-octanal can be as high as 63%. The catalyst is also highly effective for a wide variety of substrates, such as aromatic, aliphatic, and cyclic alcohols. The yield of the desired products approaches 100% and the turnover frequency is 86.5 h⁻¹. The synergistic effect between the basicity of La₂O₃ and the hydrogen spillover of Cu particle contributes significantly to the extremely high activity of the Cu/La₂O₃ catalyst for transfer dehydrogenation of primary aliphatic alcohols.