Hydrogenation of rosin in presence of thermoregulated phase-transfer catalyst

The hydrogentation of rosin was investigated in the presence of thermoregulated phasetransfer catalysts (trptcs). the thermoregulated catalytic system pd/i (i: p-ligand,fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether 1,2-phenylene phosphate ester) was an efficient catalyst for the hydrogenation. the yield of the product was nearly 100%,and the selectivity to tetrahydroabietic acid and dihydroabietic acid were 48.2% and 45.0%,respectively,when the reaction was carried out at 160 for 4 h. the product was easily separated from the catalytic system and the reusability of the separated catalyst was good. it was also found that the steric resistance of the p-ligand affected the performance of the catalytic system.