In this research, we have developed a silica MCM-41/Metformin/Pd (II) nano composite catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of alkynes to the corresponding (Z)-alkenes under a mild condition of atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Firstly, functionalized Si-MCM-41 metformin catalyst with the optimum performance was prepared. Then, the synthesized catalyst was elucidated by X-ray powder diffraction, BET surface area, FT-IR spectrophotometer, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and applied in partial hydrogenation of different alkynes, with high selectivity and high yield. The products were characterized by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, FT-IR, and Mass Spectrometry (MS) that strongly approved the (Z)-double bond configuration of produced alkenes. This prepared catalyst is competitive with the best palladium catalysts known for the selective liquid phase hydrogenation of alkynes and can be easily recovered and regenerated with keeping high activity and selectivity over at least three cycles with a simple regeneration procedure.


Reza Kia Kojoori