Cobalt nanoparticles behind alternative to lead-based Lindlar catalyst

Reaction scheme

Dietary supplements market could benefit from catalyst that performs the semi-hydrogenation of a range of vitamin precursors

Researchers have developed a lead- and palladium-free alternative for the Lindlar catalyst. The cobalt-based heterogeneous catalyst proved to be efficient for catalysing the semi-hydrogenation of alkynes and exhibits high selectivity, mitigating some of the problems encountered when using the traditional Lindlar catalyst.