Catalytic hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis are key reaction classes in the upgrading of biomass molecules into platform chemicals and synthetic fuels. Over the last two decades, the catalytic community has devoted a considerable amount of experimental and computational work to develop new methodologies and processes, and to understand the intricacies of hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis performed on bioderived molecules. The main objective of this book is to bring together and synthesize the scattered information from around the world through the perspective of leading researchers in the field. This book is intended to serve as an excellent source of information in addition to providing a platform for critical discussion connecting the multitude of fields related to catalytic hydrogenation. To facilitate a well-balanced discussion pertaining to the several subfields, the overlap among the chapters was kept to a minimum. To guide the reader through the array of opinions commonly found in this field, related topics are clearly linked throughout this book. Finally, I present this book with my sincere gratitude to the authors for their contributions. Without their valuable insight, the creation of this book would not have been possible. Furthermore, I am indebted to Katrina Hong and Marco Kennema for discussions and a careful review of this work. These students provided me with valuable comments and constructive criticism, helping me to edit a book worthy of being accessible key literature to even young undergraduate students in the field.

Roberto Rinaldi

Mülheim an der Ruhr