Chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyls catalyzed by a reusable supported Pd nanoparticles on biomass-derived carbon

We herein report highly chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds to saturated carbonyls with formic acid as a hydrogen donor over a stable and recyclable heterogeneous Pd nano particles (NPs) on N,O-dual doped hierarchical porous biomass-derived carbon. The synergistic effect between Pd NPs and incorporated heteroatoms on carbon plays a critical role on promoting the reaction efficiency. A series of alpha,beta-aromatic and aliphatic unsaturated carbonyl compounds was selectively reduced to their corresponding saturated carbonyls in up to 97% isolated yields with good tolerance of various functional groups. In addition, the catalyst can be successively reused for at least 6 times without significant loss in reaction efficiency.