| Abstract: | A newly-developed polyamide supported Raney Ni catalyst, which is suitable for use in fix-bed reactions with high selectivity, was studied in this paper. Selective hydrogenation of acetone to isopropanol was chosen as a probe reaction. It has been found that clean preparation of isopropanol could be achieved, that is to say, the two main byproducts (isopropyl ether and methyl- iso-butyl carbinol) could be eliminated with the newly-developed polyamide supported Raney Ni catalyst. The elimination of these side reactions was attributed to the adsorption effect of polyamide support and a model was proposed. The proposed model was further proved by hydroamination reaction of acetone. According to this model, catalyst support can play an important role in chemical reactions. Different products could be produced when different catalyst support is used, the main reaction and side reactions can even be reversed sometimes when the chemicals, active component of catalyst and reaction condition are the same. This model could help to improve catalytic selectivity of many Raney metal catalysts used routinely in chemical and oil refining industry, and is also useful for hydrogenation reactions in pharmaceutical and food industry. |
