New environmentally friendly catalysts containing Pd–interstitial carbon made from Pd–glucose precursors for ultraselective hydrogenations in the liquid phase

We report a novel preparation of a Pd nanocatalyst modified with subsurface C via blending a glucose precursor at the molecular level: the catalyst is demonstrated for the first time to be stereoselective in the hydrogenation of alkynes to cis-alkenes in the liquid phase.