Study on liquid phase cinnamaldehyde selective hydrogenation to cinnamyl alcohol over a Co-B amorphous alloy catalyst

The liquid hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde(CMA) to cinnamyl alcohol(CMO) over a novel ultrafine Co B amorphous alloy catalyst was carried out in a well stirred autoclave.The catalyst was prepared by chemical reduction with aqueous borohydride solution.The catalytic activity,selectivity to CMO,and the yield of CMO were measured and the effects of various factors,such as the heating treatment of the Co B catalyst and the different reaction time etc.,were also investigated.The experimental results demonstrated that the Co B amorphous alloy catalyst exhibited much higher activity and better selectivity than Raney Co and other Co based catalysts.After being treated at 773K for 2.0h (crystallization),the activity decreased abruptly while the selectivity to CMO increased slightly.Based on various characterizations,such as XRD,XPS,SEM,and BET etc.,the relationship between the catalytic performance and the structureal characteristics of the catalysts were discussed briefly.