Polysilane-Immobilized Rh–Pt Bimetallic Nanoparticles as Powerful Arene Hydrogenation Catalysts: Synthesis, Reactions under Batch and Flow Conditions and Reaction Mechanism

Hydrogenation of arenes is an important reaction not only for hydrogen storage and transport but also for the synthesis of functional molecules such as pharmaceuticals and biologically active compounds. Here, we describe the development of heterogeneous Rh–Pt bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts for the hydrogenation of arenes with inexpensive polysilane as support. The catalysts could be used in both batch and continuous-flow systems with high performance under mild conditions and showed wide substrate generality. In the continuous-flow system, the product could be obtained by simply passing the substrate and 1 atm H2 through a column packed with the catalyst. Remarkably, much higher catalytic performance was observed in the flow system than in the batch system, and extremely strong durability under continuous-flow conditions was demonstrated (>50 days continuous run; turnover number >3.4 × 105). Furthermore, details of the reaction mechanisms and the origin of different kinetics in batch and flow were studied, and the obtained knowledge was applied to develop completely selective arene hydrogenation of compounds containing two aromatic rings toward the synthesis of an active pharmaceutical ingredient.