Asymmetric hydrogenation of methyl acetoacetate over immobilized Ru-BINAP catalysts

Abstract

Ru-BINAP catalysts immobilized on the heteropoly acid (HPA) modified alumina were prepared by changing the catalyst immobilization conditions and applied in the asymmetric hydrogenation of methyl acetoacetate (MAA). The activity and selectivity of the prepared catalysts were slightly lower than those of the homogeneous catalyst but the control of acidity of support by variation the concentration of HPA in catalyst preparation could improve the activity and selectivity significantly. The catalytic performance was also investigated at various reaction conditions and it was found that the reaction variables in hydrogenation resulted in different reaction rate and selectivity.