Metal catalysts Raney nickel

The hydrogenation of HMF in the presence of metal catalysts (Raney nickel, supported platinum metals, copper chromite) leads to quantitative amounts of 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan used in the manufacture of polyurethanes, or 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran that can be used in the preparation of polyesters [30]. The oxidation of HMF is used to prepare 5-formylfuran-2-carboxylic acid, and furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (a potential substitute of terephthalic acid). Oxidation by air on platinum catalysts leads quantitatively to the diacid. [32], The oxidation of HMF to dialdehyde was achieved at 90 °C with air as oxidizing in the presence of V205/Ti02 catalysts with a selectivity up to 95% at 90% conversion [33]. 

Aldehydes and ketones are reduced to 1° and 2° alcohols, respectively, by hydrogenation with metal catalysts (Raney nickel, Pd—C and Pt02). They are also reduced to alcohols relatively easily with mild reducing agent, e.g. NaBH4, or powerful reducing agent, e.g. LiAlILj. The key step in the reduction is the reaction of hydride with the carbonyl carbon. 

The carbonyl group of ketones and aldehydes can be reduced by catalytic hydrogenation, with Raney nickel as the metal catalyst. (Raney nickel is finely dispersed nickel with adsorbed hydrogen, so an external source of H2 is not needed.) Aldehydes are reduced to primary alcohols, and ketones are reduced to secondary alcohols. 

Dry reduced nickel catalyst protected by fat is the most common catalyst for the hydrogenation of fatty acids. The composition of this type of catalyst is about 25% nickel, 25% inert carrier, and 50% soHd fat. Manufacturers of this catalyst include Calsicat (Mallinckrodt), Harshaw (Engelhard), United Catalysts (Sud Chemie), and Unichema. Other catalysts that stiH have some place in fatty acid hydrogenation are so-called wet reduced nickel catalysts (formate catalysts), Raney nickel catalysts, and precious metal catalysts, primarily palladium on carbon. The spent nickel catalysts are usually sent to a broker who seUs them for recovery of nickel value. Spent palladium catalysts are usually returned to the catalyst suppHer for credit of palladium value. 

In the majority of cases, the last step in the preparation of catalytically active metals is a reduction. The precursor is very frequently an oxide. An oxychloride is the real precursor of active platinum and some noble metals if chlorometal complexes (e.g. chloroplatinic acid) are used. It may be advantageous to use still other precursors and to reduce them directly without any intermediary transformation to oxide. On the other hand, nearly all catalytic metals are used as supported catalysts. The only notable exception is iron for ammonia synthesis, which is a very special case and then the huge body of industrial experience renders scientific analysis of little relevance. The other important metals are Raney nickel, platinum sponge or platinum black, and similar catalysts, but they are obtained by processes other than reduction. This shows the importance of understanding the mechanisms involved in activation by reduction. 

Other specialized alloys have also been used to prepare skeletal metal catalysts. Raney ruthenium has been prepared from the ruthenium aluminum alloy. 20 A colloidal platinum has been prepared by the action of acetic acid on a platinum lithium alloy. l Skeletal nickel catalysts have been made from a number of intermetallic compounds of nickel with the rare earth elements, lanthanum and samarium. The rare earth element is removed from the alloy by reaction with diiodoethane or dibromoethane which convert the rare earths to the soluble halide salts. 22 Several multicomponent catalysts have also been prepared from the corresponding aluminum alloys. 23-126... 

Since the catalytic systems in the literature were not suitable for our application, we tried to develop precious metal or Raney Nickel based catalysts which offer high performance (selectivity, activity and stability) for the hydrogenation of various. 

Although palladium occupies the dominant position in semi-hydrogenation catalysts, it is by no means the only metal suitable for formulation into a viable catalyst. Mention has already been made of the nickel boride alternatives, with or without copper promotion, for example. Other examples include the skeletal catalyst Raney nickel [69], alumina-supported nickel [70], and aluminum phosphate-supported nickel [71] (Eqs 21 and 22) ... 

Catalytic hydrogenation is mostly used to convert C—C triple bonds into C C double bonds and alkenes into alkanes or to replace allylic or benzylic hetero atoms by hydrogen (H. Kropf, 1980). Simple theory postulates cis- or syn-addition of hydrogen to the C—C triple or double bond with heterogeneous (R. L. Augustine, 1965, 1968, 1976 P. N. Rylander, 1979) and homogeneous (A. J. Birch, 1976) catalysts. Sulfur functions can be removed with reducing metals, e. g. with Raney nickel (G. R. Pettit, 1962 A). Heteroaromatic systems may be reduced with the aid of ruthenium on carbon. 

Nitro groups are efficiently reduced with hydrogen over Raney nickel catalyst (I. Fel-ner, 1967), with hydrides, or with metals. 

Single-bond cleavage with molecular hydrogen is termed hydrogenolysis. Palladium is the best catalyst for this purpose, platinum is not useful. Desulfurizations are most efficiently per-formed with Raney nickel (with or without hydrogen G.R. Pettit, 1962 A or with alkali metals in liquid ammonia or amines. The scheme below summarizes some classes of compounds most susceptible to hydrogenolysis. 

The alkylation of pyridine [110-86-1] takes place through nucleophiUc or homolytic substitution because the TT-electron-deficient pyridine nucleus does not allow electrophiUc substitution, eg, Friedel-Crafts alkylation. NucleophiUc substitution, which occurs with alkah or alkaline metal compounds, and free-radical processes are not attractive for commercial appHcations. Commercially, catalytic alkylation processes via homolytic substitution of pyridine rings are important. The catalysts effective for this reaction include boron phosphate, alumina, siHca—alurnina, and Raney nickel (122). 

In past years, metals in dilute sulfuric acid were used to produce the nascent hydrogen reductant (42). Today, the reducing agent is hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst. Nickel, preferably Raney nickel (34), chromium or molybdenum promoted nickel (43), or supported precious metals such as platinum or palladium (35,44) on activated carbon, or the oxides of these metals (36,45), are used as catalysts. Other catalysts have been suggested such as molybdenum and platinum sulfide (46,47), or a platinum—nithenium mixture (48). 

Succinic acid can also be produced by catalytic hydrogenation of aqueous solutions of maleic or fumaric acid in the presence of noble metal catalysts, ie, palladium, rhodium, mthenium, or their mixtures, on different carriers (135—139) or on Raney nickel (140). 

Conversion of the nitrile to the amide has been achieved by both chemical and biological means. Several patents have described the use of modified Raney nickel catalysts ia this appHcation (25,26). Also, alkaH metal perborates have demonstrated their utiHty (27). Typically, the hydrolysis is conducted ia the presence of sodium hydroxide (28—31). Owiag to the fact that the rate of hydrolysis of the nitrile to the amide is fast as compared to the hydrolysis of the amide to the acid, good yields of the amide are obtained. Other catalysts such as magnesium oxide (32), ammonia (28,29,33), and manganese dioxide (34) have also been employed. 

CatalyticaHy Active Species. The most common catalyticaHy active materials are metals, metal oxides, and metal sulfides. OccasionaHy, these are used in pure form examples are Raney nickel, used for fat hydrogenation, and y-Al O, used for ethanol dehydration. More often the catalyticaHy active component is highly dispersed on the surface of a support and may constitute no more than about 1% of the total catalyst. The main reason for dispersing the catalytic species is the expense. The expensive material must be accessible to reactants, and this requires that most of the catalytic material be present at a surface. This is possible only if the material is dispersed as minute particles, as smaH as 1 nm in diameter and even less. It is not practical to use minute... 

Several products other than 2,2 -biaryls have been isolated following reaction of pyridines with metal catalysts. From the reaction of a-picoline with nickel-alumina, Willink and Wibaut isolated three dimethylbipyridines in addition to the 6,6 -dimethyl-2,2 -bipyridine but their structures have not been elucidated. From the reaction of quinaldine with palladium-on-carbon, Rapoport and his co-workers " obtained a by-product which they regarded as l,2-di(2-quinolyl)-ethane. From the reactions of pyridines and quinolines with degassed Raney nickel several different types of by-product have been identified. The structures and modes of formation of these compounds are of interest as they lead to a better insight into the processes occurring when pyridines interact with metal catalysts. 

Nickel catalysts have been used for many dehydrohalogenations (30), but these catalysts are much more suspectible to poisoning by halide ion than are noble metals. As a result, the catalyst-to-substrate ratio must be much higher when using nickel, and reduction times are apt to be lengthy (36). Reductive deiodination of 6 to 7 was achieved over Raney nickel in methanol containing triethylamine. Despite massive loadings, the reduction was slow (20). 

The metal surface area at the inlet end of the catalyst bed in experiment HGR-12 was smaller than that at the outlet end this indicates that a decrease in nickel metal sites is part of the deactivation process. Sintering of the nickel is one possible mechanism, but carbon and carbide formation are suspected major causes. Loss of active Raney nickel sites could also conceivably result from diffusion of residual free aluminum from unleached catalyst and subsequent alloying with the free nickel to form an inactive material. 

Traditionally, monoqrclic arene hydrogenation is carried out in drastic conditions with heterogeneous catalysts [9-18] such as Rh/Al203 and Raney Nickel or metal sulfides. Nevertheless, some pure homogeneous systems have been reported [19-23]. 

---