Dehydrogenation Reaction of Aliphatic and Aromatic Alcohols

Dehydrogenation is the process of converting saturated hydrocarbon into unsaturated hydrocarbon by the removal of hydrogen. It is a type of elimination reaction. The most important application of the dehydrogenation reaction is in the refinery cracking process. Aliphatic and aromatic alcohols have tremendous applications in the beverage and chemical industries for products such as food and beverages, paint solvents, shellac, varnishes, cement, dye, perfumes, hand sanitizer, and drug preparation because they are inert in nature. They can also be transformed into valuable carbonyl compounds by using strong oxidants. Currently, alcohol can also be used as an alternate fuel for non-renewable energy in motor vehicles as green energy. The dehydrogenation product of aliphatic alcohol depends on the type of alcohol, that is, primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohols. High temperature and low pressure always favour dehydrogenation reactions of alcohols due to their endothermic nature. In this chapter, we discuss the dehydrogenation of aliphatic and aromatic alcohols. This chapter provides an overview of conventional work on the recent progress in this productive area of research, which includes homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic dehydrogenation, green and atom-economic alternatives, acceptorless dehydrogenation, and the use of visible light irradiation for the dehydrogenation of alcohols. We also discuss the mechanisms in the advanced and recent progress in the dehydrogenation of aliphatic and aromatic alcohols. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Syed Shahabuddin, Rama Gaur and Nandini Mukherjee; individual chapters, the contributors.