Unusual Solvent Effects in Hydrogenation of Bio-oil Substrates

For hydrogenation of bio-oil substrates, Ru/C catalyst shows the highest activity in water, followed by alcohols, while in aprotic polar and aprotic apolar solvents, Ru/C catalyst shows significantly lower hydrogenation activity.  A clear correlation between the initial rate of 2-butanone and hydrogen-bond donor capability (α) of the solvents was observed.