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Updated: Mar 17, 2026

Retropinacol/Cross-pinacol Coupling Reactions - A Catalytic Access to 1,2-Unsymmetrical Diols
Published on: April 4, 2014
Preparation of 1,2-Propanediol via One-Pot Reaction of Propylene and Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by Hollow Titanium
Dongqiang Ma1, Yuchen Zhao1, Xinxin Peng1
1SINOPEC Research Institute of Petuoleum Processing Co.,Ltd, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Molecular & Process Engineering, Beijing 100083, China.
Abstract:
1,2-Propanediol is an important chemical typically synthesized from propylene oxide. In this work, 1,2-propanediol was prepared via a one-pot process starting from propylene and hydrogen peroxide, catalyzed by hollow titanium silicalite (HTS) and Sn-β in an aqueous solution. The effects of reaction conditions were investigated, and the combined HTS and Sn-β catalyst exhibited good catalytic performance for the production of 1,2-propanediol. Under optimal conditions, the hydrogen peroxide conversion and 1,2-propanediol selectivity reached 96.8% and 92.8%, respectively. In this system, HTS catalyzes the epoxidation of propylene, while Sn-β promotes the hydrolysis of the intermediate propylene oxide to form 1,2-propanediol. Thus, HTS and Sn-β cocatalyze the epoxidation-hydrolysis tandem reaction. The combined catalyst was recycled 20 times without an obvious decrease in hydrogen peroxide conversion or 1,2-propanediol selectivity, demonstrating its stable performance.
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