Synthesis and characterization of a supported Pd complex on carbon nanofibers for the selective decarbonylation of stearic acid to 1-heptadecene: the importance of subnanometric Pd dispersion

Abstract

Production of linear α-olefins from renewable sources is gaining increasing attention because it allows the transition from the current petrochemical synthesis route to a more sustainable scenario. In this work, we describe the synthesis and characterization of an innovative catalyst based on a di-μ-chloro-bis[palladium(II) anthranilate] complex highly dispersed by incipient wetness impregnation over acyl chlorinated carbon nanofibers. The subnanometric dispersion of the metal complex allowed higher catalytic efficiency for the selective decarbonylation of stearic acid to 1-heptadecene as compared to the reference homogenous catalyst. The best catalytic performance (90 mol% selectivity, 71 mol% conversion, and TON = 484) was achieved under mild reaction conditions (atmospheric pressure, 140 °C) with a Pd loading in solution of 0.14 mol%. The post-mortem catalyst characterization and the recyclability tests evidenced the high stability of the catalyst. The highly dispersed catalyst developed in this work provides new opportunities in the rational design of more efficient catalytic systems for the sustainable transformation of fatty acids.