Raney zinc, hydrogenation catalyst

Hydrogenation of a,6-unsaturated aldehydes on Raney zinc catalysts was studied. Saturated aldehydes were obtained along with saturated alcohols. The amounts of each were dependent on reaction conditions. On reduction of nitriles and oximes with Raney alloy improved yields of primary amines were obtained. Treatment of ketoximes with Raney-nickel yields the ketones. 

With the same excess of catalysts hydrogenations of the esters over Raney nickel could be carried out at temperatures as low as 25-125° at 350atm with comparable results (80% yields). However, benzene rings were saturated under these conditions [55]. In addition to nickel and copper, zinc and chromium oxides, rhenium obtained by reduction of rhenium heptoxide also catalyzes hydrogenation of esters to alcohols at 150-250° and 167-340 atm in 35-100% yields [42]. 

Reduction of l,2,4-triazin-3-ones (84) with Raney nickel, zinc and acetic acid, lithium aluminum hydride, sodium borohydride, titanium(III) chloride, p-toluenethiol, hydrogen and a palladium catalyst, or electrochemically, produces 4,5-dihydro-l,2,4-triazin-3-ones (268) (78HC(33)189, p. 246, 80JHC1237), which may be further reduced to 1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-l,2,4-triazin-3-ones (269). l,2,4-Triazin-3-ones (84) with hydriodic acid and phosphorus yielded imidazoles (05LA(339)243). 3-Alkoxy-l,2,4-triazines (126) and sodium borohydride gave the 2,5-dihydro derivatives (270) (80JOC4594). 

Following the development of sponge-metal nickel catalysts by alkali leaching of Ni-Al alloys by Raney, other alloy systems were considered. These include iron [4], cobalt [5], copper [6], platinum [7], ruthenium [8], and palladium [9]. Small amounts of a third metal such as chromium [10], molybdenum [11], or zinc [12] have been added to the binary alloy to promote catalyst activity. The two most common skeletal metal catalysts currently in use are nickel and copper in unpromoted or promoted forms. Skeletal copper is less active and more selective than skeletal nickel in hydrogenation reactions. It also finds use in the selective hydrolysis of nitriles [13]. This chapter is therefore mainly concerned with the preparation, properties and applications of promoted and unpromoted skeletal nickel and skeletal copper catalysts which are produced by the selective leaching of aluminum from binary or ternary alloys. 

Tishchenko (79), using a modified form of Raney nickel, obtained a 95.7 % yield of camphor from the dehydrogenation of borneol. Rutovskii, (80) received a 93.5% yield of camphor with Raney alloy. Reeves and Adkins (81), studying the dehydrogenation of primary alcohols, removed the hydrogen with ethylene. It was found that, though Raney nickel could be used for a catalyst for the reaction, the yields were low and, in general, the Raney nickel was inferior to a catalyst composed of copper, zinc, nickel, and barium chromite. 

Various active nickel catalysts obtained not via reduction of nickel oxide with hydrogen have been described in the literature. Among these are the catalysts obtained by the decomposition of nickel carbonyl 10 by thermal decomposition of nickel formate or oxalate 11 by treating Ni-Si alloy or, more commonly, Ni-Al alloy with caustic alkali (or with heated water or steam) (Raney Ni) 12 by reducing nickel salts with a more electropositive metal,13 particularly by zinc dust followed by activation with an alkali or acid (Urushibara Ni) 14-16 and by reducing nickel salts with sodium boro-hydride (Ni boride catalyst)17-19 or other reducing agents.20-24... 

Selective reduction to hydroxylamine can be achieved in a variety of ways the most widely applicable systems utilize zinc and ammonium chloride in an aqueous or alcoholic medium. The overreduction to amines can be prevented by using a two-phase solvent system. Hydroxylamines have also been obtained from nitro compounds using molecular hydrogen and iridium catalysts. A rapid metal-catalyzed transfer reduction of aromatic nitroarenes to N-substituted hydroxylamines has also been developed the method employs palladium and rhodium on charcoal as catalyst and a variety of hydrogen donors such as cyclohexene, hydrazine, formic acid and phosphinic acid. The reduction of nitroarenes to arylhydroxyl-amines can also be achieved using hydrazine in the presence of Raney nickel or iron(III) oxide. ... 

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