Tuning nano-nickel selectivity with tin in flow hydrogenation of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one by surface organometallic chemistry modification

Chemoselective flow hydrogenation of 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one was performed over nano-nickel catalysts. The parent catalyst composed solely of nickel nanoparticles grafted on the polymeric resin exhibited high activity and selectivity towards C=C bond saturation but its modification with small quantities of tin significantly increased its ability to perform C=O bond hydrogenation. The post-synthetic modification of the parent catalyst was achieved by surface organometallic chemistry approach and performed in the same flow micro-reactor, which was used for the catalytic studies, providing a methodology for online modification of parent catalysts.