Ethylene glycol, supported aqueous-phase catalysis

The best example of supported aqueous phase catalysis, in which a homogeneous catalyst is embedded in an aqueous layer over silica, is the use of tetrasulfonated BINAP ligand to reduce 2-(6 -methoxy-2 -naphthyl)acrylic acid (31 Fig. 6.4). The ee is dependent on the supported organic phase, and in this case, ethylene glycol on a porous glass gave up to 95% ee for the hydrogenation product (naproxen). 

Initially, water was used as the hydrophilic liquid and these catalysts are therefore denoted as supported aqueous-phase catalysts (SAPCs) [7-10], Subsequently, we expanded this concept to other hydrophilic liquids such as ethylene glycol and glycerol [11], Reactions of liquid-phase, hydrophobic organic reactants take place at the film-organic interface. SAP catalysis differs significantly from SLP catalysis in that the latter is used for gas-phase reactants whereas the former is specifically designed for liquid-phase substrates. Additionally, with SLP catalysis, the reaction proceeds homogeneously in the supported film while in SAP catalysis it occurs at... 

Shabaker, J. W. Davda, R. R. Huber, G. W. Cortright, R. D. Dumesic, J. A., Aqueous-phase reforming of methanol and ethylene glycol over alumina-supported platinum catalysts. Journal of Catalysis 2003, 215, 344. 

The success of aqueous techniques in catalysis initiated approaches that mimic their advantageous features while resolving immanent flaws of aqueous chemistry. Polyols (ethylene glycol, glycerol, etc.) and formamide resemble water in many aspects including solvent properties, immiscibility with hydrophobic liquids, and ability to support micel-lization and solubilization phenomena. Such liquids (e.g., ethylene glycol) are often used as a substitute for water in phase-separation techniques (biphasic, supported liquid phase. 

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