Selective hydrogenation of substituted styrene to alkylbenzene catalyzed by Al2O3 nanoparticles

A straightforward and suitable protocol is described for the conversion of substituted styrene to alkylbenzenes in the presence of Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles (nano-Al 2 O 3 ) as heterogeneous solid catalysts using N 2 H 4 ·H 2 O as a hydrogen source under mild reaction conditions. A complete conversion of styrene is obtained using nano-Al 2 O 3 as a heterogeneous catalyst. Besides, this catalyst system is also successfully applied to promote the broad range of styrene substituted derivatives to their respective alkylbenzene compounds in moderate to higher conversions. The reaction is discovered to be heterogeneous in nature and nano-Al 2 O 3 can be reused for three runs with no diminish in its performance. Besides, the analyses of the fresh and three times reused nano-Al 2 O 3 solid by various analytical techniques. Transmission electron microscope indicates that the structural features, surface morphology, and particle size endure unchanged throughout the reaction. Some of the significant features of this procedure are mild reaction conditions, price effectiveness of the catalyst (Pd or Pt free catalyst), high conversion, functional group endurance, absence of noble metals/additives, and reusability of the catalyst. The scope of the reaction procedure can be extended to various linear and cyclic alkenes. Graphical abstract