Selective hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes catalyzed by amine-capped platinum-cobalt nanocrystals.

More Greasy, more selective: amine-capped Pt(3)Co nanocatalysts were synthesized and used for the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde (CAL). Capping the catalysts with amines that contain long carbon chains results in an ordered surface "array", in which high selectivity towards C=O hydrogenation can be achieved because the C=C bond in CAL does not interact with the surface. The longer the carbon chains in the amine, the higher the selectivity.