Selective Hydrodeoxygenation of Esters to Unsymmetrical Ethers over a Zirconium Oxide-Supported Pt–Mo Catalyst

[Image: see text] The catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of carbonyl oxygen in esters using H(2) is an attractive method for synthesizing unsymmetrical ethers because water is theoretically the sole coproduct. Herein, we report a heterogeneous catalytic system for the selective HDO of esters to unsymmetrical ethers over a zirconium oxide-supported platinum–molybdenum catalyst (Pt–Mo/ZrO(2)). A wide range of esters were transformed into the corresponding unsymmetrical ethers under mild reaction conditions (0.5 MPa H(2) at 100 °C). The Pt–Mo/ZrO(2) catalyst was also successfully applied to the conversion of a biomass-derived triglyceride into the corresponding triether. Physicochemical characterization and control experiments revealed that cooperative catalysis between Pt nanoparticles and neighboring molybdenum oxide species on the ZrO(2) surface plays a key role in the highly selective HDO of esters. This Pt–Mo/ZrO(2) catalyst system offers a highly efficient strategy for synthesizing unsymmetrical ethers and broadens the scope of sustainable reaction processes.