From Macrokinetics to Microkinetics: A Perspective on Integrated and Rational Kinetic Comparison of Different Metal Catalysts for Carbonyl Hydrogenation

ABSTRACT Metal catalysts stand in the central position for carbonyl hydrogenation reactions. Comparison of catalyst activities and stabilities on different metal catalysts is ubiquitous and greatly beneficial to the design and screening of metal catalysts. For the sake of finding fundamental distinctions and further intensifying the design and screening process, a integrated and rational comparison from macrokinetics to microkinetics is highly required. In this article, we outline a general method of comparing intrinsic kinetics and avoiding pitfalls on different metal catalysts in carbonyl hydrogenation and then walk through the major aspects of comparison, such as intrinsic initial rates, initial deactivation profiles, apparent kinetics, kinetic isotope effects, reaction mechanism, and microkinetics. Finally, a case study on the integrated and rigorous kinetic comparison in carbonyl hydrogenation reactions over different noble metal catalysts is carried out. Overall, this article is expected not only to highlight the great importance of comprehensive and reasonable catalyst comparison for carbonyl hydrogenation but also to extend the scope of such comparison strategy further to other catalytic reactions and other types of solid catalysts for effective catalyst design and screening.