Hydrogenolysis of α-methylbenzyl alcohol to ethylbenzene over Pd/C catalyst

The hydrogenolysis of α-methylbenzyl alcohol (MBA) to ethylbenzene (EB) over Pd/C catalyst was studied. The XRD and TEM results show that Pd nanoparticles are well dispersed on the carbon support with good crystallinity. There is no 1-cyclohexylethanol or ethylcyclohexane in the products, indicating that Pd/C is excellent for inhibiting the hydrogenation of the aromatic ring. Alcohol solvents are beneficial to increase the catalytic activity because of their strong polarity and good solubility.