Activity and selectivity of NiPt/SiO₂ catalysts for hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde

The hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde over a series of Pt/Ni catalysts was investigated. While the rate of hydrogenation to butyraldehyde was a monotonic function of the Ni concentration, the rate to crotyl alcohol was related to the concentration of the PtNi alloy. The selectivity to hydrogenation of the carbonyl group was attributed to the presence of polar surfaces (negatively charged Pt and positively charged Ni). Two independent sites, catalyzing the hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde to butyraldehyde and to crotyl alcohol, were established.