HYDROGENATION OF ALPHA,BETA-UNSATURATED KETONES ON METAL-CATALYSTS

The hydrogenation of 3-penten-2-one on well-defined SiO2 supported Ni Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd and Pt catalysts has been investigated under the same e xperimental conditions. Reactions were performed in the liquid phase i n methanol at 298 K and in the gas phase at 393 and 473 K. On the basi s of the turnover yields, the activity of metals was found to decrease in the order Pt > Pd greater than or equal to Rh much greater than Ru > Ni > Cu. Selective hydrogenation of the olefinic double bond of 3-p enten-2-one resulted in the formation of 2-pentanone which was further hydrogenated to 2-pentanol on all catalysts, except on Pd/SiO2.