Selective Hydrogenation of Aromatic Ketone to Aromatic Alcohol over Pd Single-Atom Catalysts

Aromatic alcohols prepared by hydrogenation of aromatic ketones are an important kind of intermediate that are widely used in the production of fine chemicals. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are considered ideal alternatives to conventional heterogeneous catalysts due to their unique geometrical structure. Herein, we report the palladium SACs supported by titanium oxide (Pd1/TiO2 SACs) successfully synthesized via a simple and efficient ball milling process. In the hydrogenation of acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol, Pd1/TiO2 SACs exhibit higher conversion and selectivity than Pdn/TiO2 nanoparticle catalysts. Also, Pd1/TiO2 SACs exhibit excellent hydrogenation for a range of compounds containing C═O bonds.