Green conversion of citral and citronellal using tris(bipyridine) ruthenium (II)-supported saponite catalyst under microwave irradiation

Citral and citronellal are important chemicals in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, since they can be converted into other more valuable chemicals that are needed in many pathways. From the perspective of green catalysis, the present investigation examines the preparation of a recyclable heterogeneous catalyst of ruthenium-supported saponite clay for microwave assisted catalytic hydrogen transfer. Catalysts were prepared by supporting ruthenium bipyridine cations within saponite interlayers at various ruthenium contents, and the catalysts were then characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), gas sorption measurements, and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (SEMEDX) analyses. The catalytic activity was determined using microwave-assisted conversion of citral and citronellal. The prepared catalysts exhibited significant activity in the microwave-assisted catalytic hydrogen transfer of citral and citronellal. The catalytic activity was related to the content of the supported ruthenium in the catalysts, which also contributed to the increased specific surface area and external surface area of the materials.