The catalytic transfer hydrogenolysis (CTH) of alpha-methylbenzyl alcohol (MBA) was studied using palladium catalysts and formic acid, with the intent of developing a new approach for the production of propylene oxide (130). The effects of support, hydrogen donor, molar ratio of HCOOH to MBA, water content, reaction temperature and catalyst recycling were evaluated. Using formic acid as hydrogen donor and Pd/C as catalyst, one can convert MBA to ethylbenzene (EB) with very high selectivity (98.8%) and high conversion (98.8%) at 80 degrees C for 40 min. H+ ion plays an important role, for it promotes the formation of active hydrogen species in the reaction process. A reaction mechanism was proposed to account for the results obtained in the study. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.