Journal of Zhejiang University SCIENCE A
ISSN 1673-565X(Print), 1862-1775(Online), Monthly

2009   Vol. 10   No. 11   p. 1631~1635

Hydrogen transfer reduction of ketones using formic acid as a hydrogen donor under hydrothermal conditions

Zheng SHEN, Fang-ming JIN^†‡, Ya-lei ZHANG, Bing WU, Jiang-lin CAO

(State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, MOE Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)
^‡ Corresponding Author
^†E-mail: fmjin@tongji.edu.cn
Received June 8, 2009; revision accepted Aug. 7, 2009; Crosschecked Aug. 8, 2009

Abstract: The hydrothermal experiments with ketones and formic acid showed that the hydrogen transfer reduction of ketones can be conducted using formic acid as a hydride donor in the presence of NaOH at 300 °C. The yield of alcohols was considerably higher at a much lower ratio of hydrogen source to ketones than the traditional Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reduction, reaching 60% for isopropanol from acetone and 70% for lactic acid from pyruvic acid. Water molecules may act as a catalyst in the hydrogen transfer reduction of ketones under hydrothermal conditions.

Key words: Hydrogen transfer reduction, Formic acid, Ketone, Hydrothermal reaction
doi:10.1631/jzus.A0920097             CLC number: X24; O62

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