Acetone Reaction with Hydrogen over Mesoporous Magnesium Oxide-Supported Rhodium Nanoparticles

Acetone is a cheap commodity chemical which can be used as an intermediate for the synthesis of numerous chemicals. Coupled with reductive hydrogenation, a multifunctional heterogeneous catalyst is required for the green chemistry of aldol condensation of acetone to produce β-hydroxyketone, enone (α,β-unsaturated ketone), ketone, and saturated and unsaturated alcohol. To that end, we prepared a rhodium nanoparticle-supported (RhNPs) on mesoporous magnesia to conduct a one-step, gas-phase acetone self-condensation. We observed both acetone conversion and selectivity towards either isopropyl alcohol or methyl isobutyl ketone depended on the hydrogen to acetone mole ratio, total flow rate, and reaction temperature. The optimum reaction conditions for a maximum yield of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) or methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) were established. Furthermore, 100 h on stream evidenced the long stability of our synthesized catalyst system for the production of isopropyl alcohol.