Gold Catalysts for the Partial Hydrogenation of Acrolein

The manufacture of unsaturated alcohols through selective hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes continues to be a topical issue. The objective of the present study is to investigate the use of supported gold catalysts for the partial hydrogenation of acrolein to allyl alcohol. So far, in catalyst research or even chemical engineering gold has not attracted much attention as a catalyst mainly because of its chemical inertness. The intrinsic inertness of gold, however, can be influenced when the metal is applied with a high dispersity to a suitable support.