A highly efficient Cu/La2O3 catalyst for transfer dehydrogenation of primary aliphatic alcohols

La2O3-supported copper nanoparticles are sufficiently active for transfer dehydrogenation of primary aliphatic alcohols to aldehydes. When used for 1-octanol, the yield of 1-octanal can be as high as 63%. The catalyst is also highly effective for a wide variety of substrates, such as aromatic, aliphatic, and cyclic alcohols. The yield of the desired products approaches 100% and the turnover frequency is 86.5 h−1. The synergistic effect between the basicity of La2O3 and the hydrogen spillover of Cu particle contributes significantly to the extremely high activity of the Cu/La2O3 catalyst for transfer dehydrogenation of primary aliphatic alcohols.