Dehydrogenation of alcohols in the gas phase—often under oxidative conditions with excess O₂—is the reverse reaction of hydrogenation of aldehydes and ketones to alcohols. This process is widely used in the chemical industry for the production of valuable intermediates and specialty chemicals.
For these reactions, C&CS offers copper-chromium catalysts such as HyMax 210 in pre-reduced tablet form. The tablet format is ideally suited for fixed-bed reactors and ensures stable, efficient performance during alcohol dehydrogenation. These reactions are crucial for large-scale industrial processes, such as the dehydrogenation of alkanes to alkenes or the production of styrene from ethylbenzene.
Side reactions may occur during alcohol dehydrogenation, including formation of carboxylic acids or complete oxidation. In the case of substituted aromatic alcohols, substituents may also participate in side reactions, requiring careful selection of process conditions and catalyst design.
