Formation of a hydrogenation catalyst in the cobalt acetylacetonate-triethylaluminum system

Based on the results obtained using chemical, kinetic, and physical techniques (EPR, IR, and UV spectroscopy; transmission electron microscopy; and XRD analysis), the formation of active species in the triethylaluminum-bis(tris)(acetylacetonato)cobalt system, which is known to be a hydrogenation catalyst, has been considered. It has been found that nanosized particles are formed in this system; the core of these particles consists of Co 0 atoms stabilized by a shell containing Et 2 Al(acac), AlEt 3 , and their reaction products. The extremal dependence of the hydrogenation activity of the system on the Al/Co ratio is primarily due to changes in the composition of the protective shell of nanosized particles.