BASF NanoSelect™ Technology: Innovative Supported Pd- and Pt-based Catalysts for Selective Hydrogenation Reactions

An innovative BASF catalyst manufacturing technology (NanoSelect (TM)) is introduced which allows production of heterogeneous catalysts with excellent control over metal crystallite sizes. NanoSelect (TM) technology enabled the development of Pd catalysts which are lead-free Lindlar catalyst replacements in alkyne-to-cis-alkene hydrogenations. NanoSelect (TM) Pt catalysts showed excellent chemoselectivity in substituted nitro-arene hydrogenation reactions without build-up of hydroxylamine intermediates. All NanoSelect (TM) produced catalysts show markedly higher activity per gram of metal leading to ten-fold less use of precious metal.