The effect of solvents on the rate of catalytic hydrogenation of 6-ethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroanthracene-9,10-dione

Abstract The rate of hydrogenation of 6‐ethyl‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroanthracene‐9,10‐dione was investigated at 313 K and 0.1 MPa in 20 solvents. A multiple linear regression was used to describe the solvent effect. The regression of the reaction rates was carried out using two five‐parameter linear regression models: the Abraham–Kamlet–Taft (AKT) and the Koppel–Palm (KP) model. After the elimination of the insignificant terms from the regression models, it was found that the basic character of the solvent and its Hildebrand cohesion energy density were the most important attributes influencing the hydrogenation rate. The analysis of both models led to the same conclusion. The resultant simplified AKT model gave closer fitting in comparison to the KP model. The results could facilitate the solvent selection for the industrial process of hydrogen peroxide production by the anthraquinone method with respect to the kinetics of anthraquinone hydrogenation. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 240–252, 2008