Solvent-Free Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Squalene to Squalane

ACS Omega. 2017 Jul 26;2(7):3989-3996. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.7b00625. eCollection 2017 Jul 31.

Abstract

Squalene is selectively and entirely converted into squalane over the spherical sol-gel-entrapped Pd catalyst SiliaCat Pd(0) under solvent-free and mild reaction conditions of 3 bar H2 and 70 °C. The catalyst was reused successfully in eight consecutive cycles, with palladium leaching values <2 ppm, opening the route to sustainable and less-expensive hydrogenation of phytosqualene with important sustainability consequences.