Simultaneous Hydrogenation and Isomerization of Diisobutylenes over Pd-Doped Ion-Exchange Resin Catalyst

The present work evaluates the applicability of a bifunctional ion-exchange-resin catalyst for the effective hydrogenation of diisobutylene, which is generally available as an equilibrium mixture of its isomers, mainly 2,4,4-trimethylpent-1-ene and 2,4,4-trimethylpent-2-ene. The terminal double bond in 2,4,4-trimethylpent-1-ene gets hydrogenated substantially more quickly than the relatively stable internal double bond in 2,4,4-trimethylpent-2-ene under relatively mild reaction conditions. Therefore, there is a need for a catalyst that is active for hydrogenation as well as simultaneous isomerization of 2,4,4-trimethylpent-2-ene to 2,4,4-trimethylpent-1-ene under mild reaction conditions. The present catalyst was found to be capable of performing simultaneous hydrogenation and isomerization, thereby increasing the reaction rate. The effects of various operating parameters were studied, and a kinetic model is proposed to explain the observed reaction rates.