HYDROGENATION OF NATURAL OLEFINS WITH RUTHENIUM NANOPARTICLES STABILIZED IN IONIC LIQUIDS

Abstract

This study shows the catalytic evaluation for ruthenium nanoparticles stabilized in ionic liquids derived from imidazolium: LI1= butylmethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [BMIM][BF4] and LI2= butylmethylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [BMIM][PF6] in the biphasic hydrogenation of myrcene and eugenol. The nanoparticles were synthesized using the method of reduction and displacement of ligand for tris(acetylacetonate) ruthenium (III) [Ru(acac)3], characterized through transmission electron microscopy (TEM), by which an average size of (2,0±0,2) nm, demonstrating that these catalysts are nanometric systems. Once these catalysts were used in the biphasic hydrogenation of eugenol, the production of 2- methoxy-4-propylphenol with 99% selectivity in a time of 4 hours could be observed, while in the biphasic hydrogenation of myrcene the formation of 6 hydrogenated species, the Ru/LI1 nanoparticles being more active and selective towards the formation of 7-methyl-3-methylene-6-octene in a time of 32 hours, in contrast to the Ru/LI2 nanoparticles were less active and selective generating a series of hydrogenated products.