A new type lead-free catalyst of a Pd-Cu2O nanocomposite was developed for highly selective semi-hydrogenation of alkynes. With unprecedented selectivity for the semi-hydrogenation of terminal alkynes to alkenes, we show for the first time that the catalyst only hydrogenated the terminal alkynes, i.e. did not hydrogenate the internal alkynes.
Paul Joseph Dyson, Mingyang Liu, Yelin Hu, Matthias Beller