Mild water-promoted ruthenium nanoparticles as an efficient catalyst for the preparation of cis-rich pinane

Ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles were prepared using polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene-polyoxyethylene triblock copolymer (P123) micelles in water as a stabilizing agent. The P123-Ru micellar catalyst was first used in the hydrogenation of α-pinene to pinane, and the selectivity for cis-pinane reached 98.9%. This result is attributed to the formation of vesicles. The isolated catalyst phase could be used seven times with no treatment, and its catalytic activity and selectivity were almost unchanged. The preparation process of the catalyst and hydrogenation reaction of α-pinene was under mild and environmentally friendly conditions. This research offers an effective method for the hydrogenation of α-pinene and provides a reference for other hydrophobic natural products in hydrogenation reactions.