Hydrogenolysis of Benzyl Protected Phenols and Aniline Promoted by Supported Palladium Nanoparticles

A preliminary study was conducted on the hydrogenolysis of benzyl protected substrates using palladium nanoparticles supported on different inorganic and organic matrices, under mild experimental conditions (1 mol% Pd, T=358C, PH2=1 atm). The activity of commercially available Pd/C systems was compared with that of nanosized catalysts prepared by the Metal Vapour Synthesis (MVS) technique. MVS-derived systems resulted more efficient, affording phenols and aniline with complete chemoselectivity. Preliminary investigation on metal leaching during the reactions, indicated the presence of very low amount of palladium in solution, thus suggesting a heterogeneous behavior of the catalysts.