Facile synthesis of eco-friendly cu-hydrotalcite catalysts for highly selective synthesis of furfural diethyl acetal and benzoin ethyl ether

Abstract

A series of eco-friendly Cu-hydrotalcite (HT) catalysts (Cu-Fe, Cu-Al, Cu-Cr) were facilely and successfully synthesized by a modified co-precipitation method. The as-prepared Cu-hydrotalcite catalysts were highly selective for the synthesis of valueadded furfural diethyl acetal and benzoin ethyl ether, whereas furfural diethyl acetal (97.5% selectivity at 49.3% conversion of furfural) and benzoin ethyl ether (98.4% selectivity at 43.7% conversion of benzaldehyde) were highly selectively produced on the Cu-Fe hydrotalcite catalyst, respectively. The eco-friendly Cu-hydrotalcite catalysts were easy to be recycled and maintained high stability, which may be a good candidate for the general application in the reaction of aldehyde and ethanol © 2013 VBRI press.