An. Ko et al., HIGHLY SELECTIVE PD KX CATALYSTS FOR LOW-PRESSURE ONE-STEP SYNTHESIS OF 2-ETHYLHEXANAL FROM N-BUTYRALDEHYDE AND HYDROGEN/, Catalysis letters, 54(4), 1998, pp. 207-210
2-ethylhexanal (2EH) was directly synthesized from n-butyraldehyde and
hydrogen at 1 atm and 150 degrees C using the catalysts prepared by s
upporting tetraamine palladium(II) chloride on the potassium ion-excha
nged zeolite X (Pd/KXW) and on the potassium ion-added zeolite X (Pd/K
XU). The latter catalyst contains a larger amount of potassium ion and
exhibits higher activity and very high selectivity to 2EH (>93%) due
to its greater basicity. The main reaction path possibly starts from s
elf-condensation of n-butyraldehyde on the catalyst basic sites to for
m 2-ethyl-3-hydroxyhexanal followed by dehydration to 2-ethyl-2-hexena
l which was then hydrogenated on the metallic Pd sites to 2EH.