Hydrodeoxygenation of sulfoxides into sulfides under mild conditions over a heterogeneous cobalt catalyst

Abstract

In this study, Al₂O₃/nitrogen-doped carbon supported cobalt catalysts (Co–NC/Al₂O₃-T, where T represents the pyrolysis temperature) were successfully prepared by a one-step pyrolysis method and studied for the hydrodeoxygenation of sulfoxides into sulfides. The structure of the Co–NC/Al₂O₃-T catalysts was greatly affected by the pyrolysis temperature, and thus the pyrolysis temperature showed a great influence on the catalytic activity of the Co–NC/Al₂O₃-T catalysts. The Co–NC/Al₂O₃-500 catalyst demonstrated excellent catalytic performance for the hydrodeoxygenation of sulfoxides into sulfides with yields from 94% to 98% under mild conditions (80 °C and 10 bar H₂), and the catalytic activity of Co–NC/Al₂O₃-500 was found to be comparable with that of reported noble metal catalysts. Both the support and the metallic cobalt nanoparticles crucially contributed to the excellent catalytic activity of the Co–NC/Al₂O₃-500 catalyst. More importantly, the Co–NC/Al₂O₃-500 catalyst showed a good stability after five runs.