INTRODUCTION
Selective catalytic hydrogenation of a-b-unsaturated aldehydes is an important step in the industrial preparation of fine chemicals and attracts much interest for fundamental research in catalysis1. Cinnamyl alcohol plays an important role in the perfume and flavouring industries. The process can, however, lead to three different products: saturated aldehyde, saturated alcohol
and the desired unsaturated alcohol (see Scheme 1.). The hydrogenation of the C=C bond in a-b-unsaturated aldehydes is both kinetically and thermodynamically more favorable than that of the C=O group2. The most significant factors determining the selectivity are: the type and the structure of the active metal, the type of the substrate, and the conditions of the reaction,
namely, the hydrogen pressure and the reaction temperature. The influence of the latter factors can be easily investigated by using the H-Cube®, which is a standalone hydrogenation reactor combining continuous-flow microchemistry with on-demand hydrogen generation and a disposable catalyst cartridge (CatCart®) system3.
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