Comparison of the Activity and Lifetime of Raney Nickel and Nickel Boride in the Hydrogenation of Various Functional Groups

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00320a008

Nickel borides (Ni2B) are prepared by the reduction of a nickel salt with sodium borohydride.These materials have been shown to be active hydrogenation catalysts.The activity and lifetime of a P-1.50 nickel boride catalyst, which is prepared in a 50percent water/ethanol solvent, are reported for the hydrogenation of unsaturated carbon and nitrogen bonds and for aldehydes.The data are compared to those obtained for similar reductions which employ Raney nickel as the catalyst.The nickel boride is more active and productive than Raney nickel in the hydrogenation of hexene,cyclohexene, and acrylonitrile.The properties of the two catalysts are similar for the reduction of cinnamaldehyde, 2-ethylhexanal, and benzaldehyde.The data for the reduction of nitrobenzene, adiponitrile, and propionitrile indicate that the nickel boride is more susceptible to nitrogen poisoning than Raney nickel.