A hydrogenation catalyst includes copper oxide, an alkali metal, and an acid-stabilized silica, wherein hydrogenation catalyst has a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of greater than or equal to about 15 m2/g. The hydrogenation catalysts are effective for converting aldehydes, ketones, and esters to alcohols and/or diesters to diols.

A process for the hydrogenation of a substrate comprising a carbon heteroatom double bond in the presence of a transition metal complex comprising a tridentate or bisdentate-ligand containing a nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus atom, of which at least the N- and P- and optionally also the S-atom coordinates with the transition metal.

A process for the hydrogenation of a substrate comprising a carbon heteroatom double bond in the presence of a transition metal complex comprising a tridentate or bisdentate-ligand containing a nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus atom, of which at least the N- and P- and optionally also the S-atom coordinates with the transition metal.

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of a saturated primary alcohol from an unsaturated aliphatic ester comprising the steps of: a) Providing an aliphatic ester having at least one carbon-carbon double bond; b) Carrying out a metathesis of said ester in the presence of a ruthenium carbene-based catalyst thereby obtaining a first reaction mixture; c) Adding a ligand and a base to the first reaction mixture, wherein the ligand comprises at least one donor atom chosen from the group consisting of a nitrogen atom and a phosphorus atom thereby obtaining a second reaction mixture comprising an ester product resulting from the metathesis reaction; d) Carrying out a homogeneous hydrogenation of the ester-product resulting from the metathesis, thereby obtaining a saturated primary alcohol. Further, the present invention relates to a catalyst for the hydrogenation of esters and to a process for the hydrogenation of esters using said catalyst.

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of a saturated primary alcohol from an unsaturated aliphatic ester comprising the steps of: a) Providing an aliphatic ester having at least one carbon-carbon double bond; b) Carrying out a metathesis of said ester in the presence of a ruthenium carbene-based catalyst thereby obtaining a first reaction mixture; c) Adding a ligand and a base to the first reaction mixture, wherein the ligand comprises at least one donor atom chosen from the group consisting of a nitrogen atom and a phosphorus atom thereby obtaining a second reaction mixture comprising an ester product resulting from the metathesis reaction; d) Carrying out a homogeneous hydrogenation of the ester-product resulting from the metathesis, thereby obtaining a saturated primary alcohol. Further, the present invention relates to a catalyst for the hydrogenation of esters and to a process for the hydrogenation of esters using said catalyst.

The invention relates to bisphosphites having 2,4-dimethylphenyl units and a method for the preparation thereof. Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of the compounds as ligands in a ligand-metal complex. The compound, and also the complex, may be used as a catalytically active composition in hydroformylation reactions.

The invention relates to bisphosphites having 2,4-dimethylphenyl units and a method for the preparation thereof. Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of the compounds as ligands in a ligand-metal complex. The compound, and also the complex, may be used as a catalytically active composition in hydroformylation reactions.

The present invention relates to novel Ruthenium complexes and related borohydride complexes, and their use for (1) hydrogenation of amides (including polyamides) to alcohols and amines; (2) preparing amides from alcohols with amines (including preparing polyamides (e.g., polypeptides) by reacting dialcohols and diamines or by polymerization of amino alcohols); (3) hydrogenation of esters to alcohols (including hydrogenation of cyclic esters (lactones), cyclic di-esters (di-lactones) or polyesters); (4) hydrogenation of organic carbonates (including polycarbonates) to alcohols and of carbamates (including polycarbamates) or urea derivatives to alcohols and amines; (5) dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols to esters; (6) hydrogenation of secondary alcohols to ketones; (7) amidation of esters (synthesis of amides from esters and amines); (8) acylation of alcohols using esters; (9) coupling of alcohols with water to form carboxylic acids; and (10) dehydrogenation of beta-amino alcohols to form pyrazines. The present invention further relates to novel uses of certain pyridine Ruthenium complexes.

The present invention relates to novel Ruthenium complexes and related borohydride complexes, and their use for (1) hydrogenation of amides (including polyamides) to alcohols and amines; (2) preparing amides from alcohols with amines (including preparing polyamides (e.g., polypeptides) by reacting dialcohols and diamines or by polymerization of amino alcohols); (3) hydrogenation of esters to alcohols (including hydrogenation of cyclic esters (lactones), cyclic di-esters (di-lactones) or polyesters); (4) hydrogenation of organic carbonates (including polycarbonates) to alcohols and of carbamates (including polycarbamates) or urea derivatives to alcohols and amines; (5) dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols to esters; (6) hydrogenation of secondary alcohols to ketones; (7) amidation of esters (synthesis of amides from esters and amines); (8) acylation of alcohols using esters; (9) coupling of alcohols with water to form carboxylic acids; and (10) dehydrogenation of beta-amino alcohols to form pyrazines. The present invention further relates to novel uses of certain pyridine Ruthenium complexes.

In one embodiment, the present application discloses methods to selectively synthesize higher alcohols and hydrocarbons useful as fuels and industrial chemicals from syngas and biomass. Ketene and ketonization chemistry along with hydrogenation reactions are used to synthesize fuels and chemicals. In another embodiment, ketene used to form fuels and chemicals may be manufactured from acetic acid which in turn can be synthesized from synthesis gas which is produced from coal, biomass, natural gas, etc.