Hydrogenation of n -octanoic acid over the MoPt alloy of Mo-Pt/SiO 2 catalyst under solvent-free conditions.

SiO 2 -Supported bimetallic Mo and Pt worked as an effective heterogeneous catalyst for hydrogenation of n -octanoic acid at a low temperature of 373 K in the absence of solvent, providing 78% yield of hydrogenated products (62% yield of 1-octanol and 32% yield of octyl octanoate). Based on the catalyst characterization, MoPt alloy (Mo/Pt = 1) was formed by high-temperature reduction and was proposed to be the active site for the reaction.