One-pot synthesis of 2-alkyl cycloketones on bifunctional Pd/ZrO2 catalyst

2-Alkyl cycloketones are essential chemicals and intermediates for synthetic perfumes pesticides, which conventionally produced by multistep process including aldol condensation, separation hydrogenation. In present work, a batch one-pot cascade approach using aldehydes as the raw materials, bifunctional Pd/ZrO2 catalyst was developed synthesis of 2-alkyl cycloketones, e.g., cyclohexanone cycloheptanone. Very high (except paraldehyde with large steric hindrance) conversion yields (e.g., 99 % n-butanal 76 wt.% yield 2-butyl cyclohexanone) were obtained at mild temperature 140 °C. After 10 cycles reuse, showed slight deactivation (ca. 5 losses), due to coke on catalyst. However, performance completely recovered after an oxidative regeneration.