Highly Selective Silica‐supported Copper Catalysts Derived from Copper Phyllosilicates in the Hydrogenation of Adipic Acid to 1,6‐hexanediol

Abstract Hydrogenation of adipic acid (AA) is a potential way to prepare 1,6‐hexanediol (HDOL). Herein, silica‐supported copper catalysts derived from copper phyllosilicates were synthesized, characterized, and tested in the hydrogenation of AA to HDOL. In a full conversion of AA, a high yield of HDOL (approximately 90 %) was obtained through the use of each Cu‐based catalyst. The turnover frequency calculated according to the consumption rate of AA was discovered to be dependent on the Cu + /(Cu 0 +Cu + ) ratio and the reduction condition. Moreover, recycling tests showed that a catalyst derived from a copper phyllosilicate had better stability compared with Cu/SiO 2 made through impregnation due to a stronger interaction between Cu and silica. The kinetic analyses based on the global rate expression and Langmuir−Hinshelwood−Hougen−Watson (LHHW) formalism of AA conversion were conducted. The possible competitive adsorption between AA and its derivatives, including hydroxycaproic acid and ϵ‐caprolactone, was thereby revealed.