Metal-organic framework-derived Co-C catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde to cinnamic alcohol

The liquid phase selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde has been investigated over the catalysts Co-C -T (T = 400-700 degrees C), which were derived from the carbonization of the MOF precursor Co-BTC at different temperatures in inert atmosphere. Co-C-500 exhibited a higher conversion (85.3%) than those carbonized at other temperatures, with 51.5% selectivity to cinnamyl alcohol, under a mild condition (90 degrees C, 4 h, 2 MPa H2, solvent: 9 ml ethanol and 1 ml water). The high catalytic activity of Co-C-500 can be ascribed to the large specific surface area of the catalyst, the uniformly dispersed metallic cobalt nanoparticles, and the more defect sites on the carbon support. Moreover, Co-C-500 showed excellent reusability in 5 successive cycles, mainly related to the uniformly dispersed cobalt nanoparticles embed-ded in carbon support.(c) 2023 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.