Furfural Hydrogenation on Thiolate-Modified Mono- and Bimetallic Heterogeneous Catalysts

Two effects of thiolate modifiers on furfural hydrogenation over monometallic Pd and bimetallic CuNi catalysts were identified. On Pd, the thiolate improves selectivity via a site-blocking mechanism. On CuNi, the thiolate kinetically stabilizes the surface structure of the catalyst leading to higher activity.