Synthesis of in-situ surfactant-free Pd nanoparticle catalysts for the synthesis of aromatic azo compounds and for unsaturated bond hydrogenation by hydrogen transfer

We developed a simple and efficient method to synthesize aromatic azos by hydrogen transfer using palladium(II) acetylacetonate as a catalyst and isopropyl alcohol as a hydrogen source. Furthermore, this system also showed catalytic potential for the hydrogenation of carbonyl groups or C=C bonds with yields up to similar to 97%. (C) 2013, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.