Preparation of 1-phenylethanol by selective hydrogenation of acetophenone over alumina-supported Co catalysts

Alumina-supported cobalt metal catalysts are studied in the preparation of 1-phenylethanol by the selective hydrogenation of acetophenone. X-ray diffraction was used to investigate the phase of the catalysts. Effects of reaction temperatures, Co loading, and catalysts preparation method on the activity of the hydrogenation of acetophenone and the selectivity of 1-phenylethanol were studied. The results show that the preparation method and Co loading influence the dispersion of the catalyst. The hydrogenation of carbonyl groups has priority to hydrogenation of phenyl groups over alumina-supported Co catalysts. The selectivity of 1-phenylethanol decreases when the reaction temperature is increased under the same conversion conditions. With the Co loading increasing, the reaction activity increases while the selectivity of 1-phenylethanol decreases. The selectivity of 1-phenylethanol reaches 98% when the conversion is up to 98.2% at 373 K over the catalyst prepared by impregnation.