Single-Step, Highly Active, and Highly Selective Nanoparticle Catalysts for the Hydrogenation of Key Organic Compounds

Pores for cluster catalysts: Nanoparticles of both Ru5Pt and Ru10Pt2, uniformly distributed along the inner walls of mesoporous silica, exhibit high catalytic performance in the single-step hydrogenation of dimethyl terephthalate (DMT, to 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM); see scheme), of benzoic acid (to cyclohexane carboxylic acid), and of naphthalene (in the presence of sulfur) to cis-decalin.