Aqueous Phase Hydrogenation of Quinoline to Decahydroquinoline Catalyzed by Ruthenium Nanoparticles Supported on Glucose‐Derived Carbon Spheres

Abstract A new ruthenium catalyst supported on glucose‐derived carbon spheres was prepared by using the impregnation method and then characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XRD, TEM, SEM, FTIR, and solid‐state 13 C MAS NMR techniques. With water as the environmentally friendly solvent, the conversion of quinoline and the selectivity toward decahydroquinoline could reach 98.2 and 95.2 %, respectively, under mild conditions (reaction temperature=393 K and H 2 pressure=2.0 MPa). The catalyst could be recycled thrice without decrease in activity and selectivity. The excellent catalytic performance of this catalyst may be attributed to the hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl group of the support surface and the nitrogen atom in quinoline as well as to the π–π interaction between the organic support and quinoline.