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Lindlar Catalyst

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What is Lindlar's Catalyst?

A catalyst is a substance that changes or accelerates the pace of any chemical reaction without any change taking place by itself. A catalyst is usually used in smaller amounts compared with the reactants or reaction participants.


Lindlar is a heterogeneous catalyst composed of palladium formed on calcium carbonate and treated with different types of lead. A heterogeneous catalyst is a catalyst that is always in a different phase or situation (solid, liquid, or gas solution) with the reactant solution.


The term "Lindlar" was awarded after Herbert Lindlar, their founder. Using lead will be needed to deactivate the palladium at some locations. Because of the existence of lead, this is often denoted as a "poisoned catalyst." A catalyst becomes poisonous when its potency begins to decline in the presence of another chemical substance known as poison catalyst.


To poison the palladium, different compound contaminants such as lead acetate and lead oxide are used. The palladium element is normally just 5 percent of the catalyst's overall weight. The catalyst is applied to alkenes to hydrogenate alkynes.


Lindlar's Catalyst

A substance that changes or accelerates the pace of any chemical reaction without any change taking place by itself is a Catalyst.


Lindlar is a heterogeneous catalyst composed of palladium that is formed on calcium carbonate and treated with different types of lead. A heterogeneous catalyst is a catalyst that is always in a different phase or situation (solid, liquid, or gas solution) with the reactant solution. Lindlar’s Catalyst is used for the hydrogenation of alkynes into alkenes. The Lindlar’s Catalyst is used, on a large scale, in the synthesis of Vitamin A, and also used in the synthesis of dihydro vitamin K1.


The term "Lindlar" is named after a British chemist, Herbert Lindlar, their founder. 


Properties of Lindlar’s Catalyst

Lindlar’s catalyst has a specific surface area of 150-260 m2/g and consists of Impurity less than 0.5%

The water content of Lindlar’s catalyst is less than 5%, and the pH is 8.


Lindlar Catalyst Preparation

Lindlar Catalyst is prepared by lowering the palladium chloride in a calcium carbonate mixture and lead acetate is added to it. A catalyst with a large surface area is obtained and this increases the reactivity. If the catalyst is used to reduce alkynes to alkenes, the introduction of quinoline prevents further reduction to alkanes. Quinoline here serves as a deactivator to improve the catalyst's selectivity.


Lindlar catalysts, which are available for commercial purchase, are also prepared in laboratories with the reduction of palladium(II) chloride in semi-liquid calcium carbonate and the subsequent poisoning of the resulting mixture with a suitable catalyst poison. Common choices here are lead acetate, lead(II) oxide, and quinoline.


It's normally prepared by lowering palladium chloride in a calcium carbonate mixture accompanied by adding lead acetate. Finally, a catalyst with a large surface area is obtained which increases the reactivity. Provided that the catalyst is used to reduce alkynes to alkenes, the introduction of quinoline prevents further reduction to alkanes. Quinoline, therefore, serves as a deactivator to improve the catalyst's selectivity.


Lindlar Catalyst Formula: Pd/CaCO3


Lindlar Catalyst Structure


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Lindlar Reaction Mechanism

Alkyne hydrogenation to alkenes involves the presence of molecular hydrogen (H2) that lowers the alkyne to alkenes. The Hydrogen (H2) atoms are introduced to the alkenes in pairs where the alkynes ' triple bond is reduced to a double-bonded alkene. 


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In addition, the further reduction to one single bond is obstructed. In fact, the reduction of alkenes to alkanes is quicker than the reduction to alkenes due to the addition of quinoline.


In the above-mentioned hydrogenation reaction, the hydrogen atom is transferred to the same side (cis) of the alkyne, resulting in cis alkenes by introducing syn (addition of two substituents on the same side of a double or triple bond resulting in a decrease in bond number). All hydrogen and alkyne are closely bound up with the catalyst's large surface where the hydrogen atoms then slowly bind into the alkyne's triple bond.


Therefore, alkyne hydrogenation becomes stereoselective and occurs by syn addition. Stereoselectivity leads to the formation of an uneven mixture of stereoisomers (isomeric molecules that have the same molecular formula but different tridimensional atom orientations in space). In addition, the reaction is exothermic.


Lindlar's Catalyst Examples

Using the Lindlar catalyst 1-phenylpropyne is reduced in this catalytic hydrogenation reaction. The alkyne is lowered to the equivalent cis alkene but not reduced to the alkane any further. If the catalyst had been Pd alone (without a poison), the alkene could not be extracted as it would be reduced easily to the equivalent alkane.


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FAQs on Lindlar Catalyst

1. What is the Lindlar Catalyst Formula?

Lindlar catalyst: H2 / Pd / CaCO3 is used for alkyne hydrogenation to mold cis alkene as hydrogenation using H2 / Pd would directly create alkanes and therefore CaCo3 will be used as a pesticide to avoid further hydrogenation and thus form an alkene.

2. What is Pd BaSO4?

Pd / BaSO4 is called Lindlar Catalyst along with quinolone and is used again to convert alkynes to alkenes. This reagent provides the accompanying beginning alkynes cis alkene. The reduction of terminal alkynes is not limited, terminal alkenes are produced. In the case of benzene, no interaction with Benzene.

3. What is the Product Obtained When Alkynes are Subjected to Hydrogenation in The Presence of Lindlar Catalyst?

Lindlar catalysts comprise of finely distributed palladium as the enabling catalyst formed on calcium carbonate. Lindlar catalyst hydrogenation of alkynes continues in synthetic form in a stereoselective way. We are shaped cis alkenes.

4.   What is the formula Pd BaSO4?

The Lindlar Catalyst, along with Quinolone is Pd / BaSO4 and this formula is used in order to convert alkynes to alkenes. The Pd here is the heterogeneous catalyst, the Lindlar’s Catalyst. This is used in the selective hydrogenation of alkyne and gives cis alkene. Pd is partially poisoned, which means that the reactivity of Pd decreases. The reduction of terminal alkynes is not limited, and the terminal alkenes are produced. In the case of benzene, there is no interaction with Benzene.

5. What is Lindlar's Catalyst and its formula?

Lindlar’s Catalyst is a Palladium catalyst that is known to be poisoned with traces of Lead and Quinoline, and which reduces its activity so as to be able to reduce alkynes and not alkenes. 


The formula of Lindlar’s Catalyst is H2/Pd /CaCO3  and this is used for the hydrogenation of alkynes to form cis alkene since hydrogenation using H2 /Pd can directly form alkane. Hence, CaCO3 is used as a poison to arrest further hydrogenation and thus forms alkene.

6. What product do we get when the alkynes are subjected to hydrogenation in the presence of Lindlar's catalyst?

The Lindlar’s Catalyst has some finely distributed Palladium as the catalyst which helps in forming Calcium Carbonate. We get an alkene when an alkyne is hydrogenated along with Lindlar's Catalyst. In this case, we need to know that we can always get an alkene in which the hydrogen atoms are seen to be on the same side of the carbon-carbon double bond. This is also referred to as a cis alkene, where the word cis means the same.

7. Explain syn addition?

Syn addition is The addition of two substituents to the same side (or face) of a double bond or triple bond, which results in a decrease in the bond order but there is an increase in the number of substituents, which is known as Syn addition. Here, the substrate is almost always an alkene or an alkyne. The Bromination (any halogenation) of alkenes is an example of Syn addition.

8. Where can I get study materials on Lindlar’s Catalyst?

In Chemistry, the ‘Lindlar’s Catalyst -Formulas, Structure, Properties, Preparation’ chapter is as important a chapter as all the other chapters in Chemistry. It is necessary to be able to practice some of the important questions to be able to do well. The online portal, Vedantu.com offers important questions along with answers and other very helpful study material on Lindlar’s Catalyst, which have been formulated in a  well structured, well-researched, and easy to understand manner. These study materials and solutions are all important and are very easily accessible from Vedantu.com and can be downloaded for free.