SELECTIVE DEHYDROGENATION OF CYCLOHEXANOL TO CYCLOHEXANONE ON CU-ZNO-AL2O3 CATALYSTS

Catalytic dehydrogenation of cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone is an industrially important reaction in the manufacture of nylon. Cyclohexanone is also used as a solvent and as a building block in the synthesis of many organic compounds such as pharmaceuticals, insecticides, etc. We report highly selective (>99%) dehydrogenation of cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone over Cu-ZnO-Al2O3 catalysts prepared by a novel deposition-precipitation method. These catalysts are characterized by means of a reversible carbon monoxide adsorption technique to assess the nature of the active species on the catalyst surface.