Process for the reduction of unsaturated carboxylic acids

摘要

Unsaturated carboxylic acids may be reduced to the corresponding alcohols and esters while maintaining some degree of unsaturation in the carbon atom chain of the molecule by treating said acids with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst system comprising rhenium composited on a solid support such as alumina and a phosphorous-containing compound as a modifier. The catalyst which is employed at reaction condition, including a temperature in the range of from about 100 DEG to about 500 DEG C. and a pressure in the range of from about 100 to about 5000 psi, may be exemplified by rhenium composited on gamma-alumina and hypophosphorous acid.