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Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Cobalt Single-Atom Catalysts with High Stability for Selective Dehydrogenation of Formic Acid
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Li, Xiang; Surkus, Annette-Enrica; Rabeah, Jabor; Anwar, Muhammad; Dastigir, Sarim; Junge, Henrik; Brückner, Angelika; Beller, Matthias
    Metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived Co-N-C catalysts with isolated single cobalt atoms have been synthesized and compared with cobalt nanoparticles for formic acid dehydrogenation. The atomically dispersed Co-N-C catalyst achieves superior activity, better acid resistance, and improved long-term stability compared with nanoparticles synthesized by a similar route. High-angle annular dark-field–scanning transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and X-ray absorption fine structure characterizations reveal the formation of CoIINx centers as active sites. The optimal low-cost catalyst is a promising candidate for liquid H2 generation. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
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    Cyclometalated Ruthenium Pincer Complexes as Catalysts for the α-Alkylation of Ketones with Alcohols
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Piehl, Patrick; Amuso, Roberta; Alberico, Elisabetta; Junge, Henrik; Gabriele, Bartolo; Neumann, Helfried; Beller, Matthias
    Ruthenium PNP pincer complexes bearing supplementary cyclometalated C,N-bound ligands have been prepared and fully characterized for the first time. By replacing CO and H− as ancillary ligands in such complexes, additional electronic and steric modifications of this topical class of catalysts are possible. The advantages of the new catalysts are demonstrated in the general α-alkylation of ketones with alcohols following a hydrogen autotransfer protocol. Herein, various aliphatic and benzylic alcohols were applied as green alkylating agents for ketones bearing aromatic, heteroaromatic or aliphatic substituents as well as cyclic ones. Mechanistic investigations revealed that during catalysis, Ru carboxylate complexes are predominantly formed whereas neither the PNP nor the CN ligand are released from the catalyst in significant amounts. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
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    An amino acid based system for CO2 capture and catalytic utilization to produce formates
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2021) Wei, Duo; Junge, Henrik; Beller, Matthias
    Herein, we report a novel amino acid based reaction system for CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) to produce formates in the presence of the naturally occurring amino acid l-lysine. Utilizing a specific ruthenium-based catalyst system, hydrogenation of absorbed carbon dioxide occurs with high activity and excellent productivity. Noteworthy, following the CCU concept, CO2 can be captured from ambient air in the form of carbamates and converted directly to formates in one-pot (TON > 50 000). This protocol opens new potential for transforming captured CO2 from ambient air to C1-related products. © 2021 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
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    Two-photon, visible light water splitting at a molecular ruthenium complex
    (Cambridge : RSC Publ., 2021) Schneidewind, Jacob; Argüello Cordero, Miguel A.; Junge, Henrik; Lochbrunner, Stefan; Beller, Matthias
    Water splitting to give molecular oxygen and hydrogen or the corresponding protons and electrons is a fundamental four-electron redox process, which forms the basis of photosynthesis and is a promising approach to convert solar into chemical energy. Artificial water splitting systems have struggled with orchestrating the kinetically complex absorption of four photons as well as the difficult utilization of visible light. Based on a detailed kinetic, spectroscopic and computational study of Milstein's ruthenium complex, we report a new mechanistic paradigm for water splitting, which requires only two photons and offers a new method to extend the range of usable wavelengths far into the visible region. We show that two-photon water splitting is enabled by absorption of the first, shorter wavelength photon, which produces an intermediate capable of absorbing the second, longer wavelength photon (up to 630 nm). The second absorption then causes O–O bond formation and liberation of O2. Theoretical modelling shows that two-photon water splitting can be used to achieve a maximum solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 18.8%, which could be increased further to 28.6% through photochemical instead of thermal H2 release. It is therefore possible to exceed the maximum efficiency of dual absorber systems while only requiring a single catalyst. Due to the lower kinetic complexity, intrinsic utilization of a wide wavelength range and high-performance potential, we believe that this mechanism will inspire the development of a new class of water splitting systems that go beyond the reaction blueprint of photosynthesis.
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    Formic Acid Dehydrogenation by a Cyclometalated κ3-CNN Ruthenium Complex
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Léval, Alexander; Junge, Henrik; Beller, Matthias
    Hydrogen utilization as a sustainable energy vector is of growing interest. We report herein a cyclometalated ruthenium complex [Ru(κ3-CNN)(dppb)Cl], originally described by Baratta, to be active in the selective dehydrogenation (DH) of formic acid (FA) to H2 and CO2. TON's of more than 10000 were achieved under best conditions without observation of CO (detection limit 10 ppm). The distinguished behavior of the catalyst was explored varying the starting conditions. Our observation revealed the complex [Ru(κ3-CNN)(dppb)(OOCH)] as key species in the catalytic cycle. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
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    Immobilized Ru‐Pincer Complexes for Continuous Gas‐Phase Low‐Temperature Methanol Reforming‐Improving the Activity by a Second Ru‐Complex and Variation of Hydroxide Additives
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Schwarz, Christian H.; Kraus, Dominik; Alberico, Elisabetta; Junge, Henrik; Haumann, Marco
    Ru-pincer complexes were immobilized as supported liquid phase (SLP) materials to allow the methanol reforming reaction as continuous gas phase process. Under reaction conditions, the liquid phase forms from the hydroxide coating. Several hydroxides were screened and CsOH showed highest activity compared to the standard KOH coating. The well-known Ru-pincer complex carbonylchlorohydrido [bis(2-di-i-propylphosphinoethyl)amine]ruthenium(II) is limited in catalyzing the final step of the methanol reforming. Addition of a second complex, having a methylated backbone in the pincer-ligand, could overcome these limitations. Significant enhancement of the overall catalytic activity was observed.
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    Efficient Synthesis of Novel Plasticizers by Direct Palladium-Catalyzed Di- or Multi-carbonylations
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2022) Hu, Yuya; Sang, Rui; Vroemans, Robby; Mollaert, Guillaume; Razzaq, Rauf; Neumann, Helfried; Junge, Henrik; Franke, Robert; Jackstell, Ralf; Maes, Bert U. W.; Beller, Matthias
    Diesters are of fundamental importance in the chemical industry and are used for many applications, e.g. as plasticizers, surfactants, emulsifiers, and lubricants. Herein, we present a straightforward and efficient method for the selective synthesis of diesters via palladium-catalyzed direct carbonylation of di- or polyols with readily available alkenes. Key-to-success is the use of a specific palladium catalyst with the “built-in-base” ligand L16 providing esterification of all alcohols and a high n/iso ratio. The synthesized diesters were evaluated as potential plasticizers in PVC films by measuring the glass transition temperature (Tg) via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
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    Hydrogen production from formic acid catalyzed by a phosphine free manganese complex: Investigation and mechanistic insights
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2020) Léval, Alexander; Agapova, Anastasiya; Steinlechner, Christoph; Alberico, Elisabetta; Junge, Henrik; Beller, Matthias
    Formic acid dehydrogenation (FAD) is considered as a promising process in the context of hydrogen storage. Its low toxicity, availability and convenient handling make FA attractive as a potential hydrogen carrier. To date, most promising catalysts have been based on noble metals, such as ruthenium and iridium. Efficient non-noble metal systems like iron were designed but manganese remains relatively unexplored for this transformation. In this work, we present a panel of phosphine free manganese catalysts which showed activity and stability in formic acid dehydrogenation. The most promising results were obtained with Mn(pyridine-imidazoline)(CO)3Br yielding >14 l of the H2/CO2 mixture and proved to be stable for more than 3 days. Additionally, this study provides insights into the mechanism of formic acid dehydrogenation. Kinetic experiments, Kinetic Isotopic Effect (KIE), in situ observations, NMR labeling experiments and pH monitoring allow us to propose a catalytic cycle for this transformation.
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    Site-Selective Real-Time Observation of Bimolecular Electron Transfer in a Photocatalytic System Using L-Edge X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verl., 2021) Britz, Alexander; Bokarev, Sergey I.; Assefa, Tadesse A.; Bajnóczi, Èva G.; Németh, Zoltán; Vankó, György; Rockstroh, Nils; Junge, Henrik; Beller, Matthias; Doumy, Gilles; March, Anne Marie; Southworth, Stephen H.; Lochbrunner, Stefan; Kühn, Oliver; Bressler, Christian; Gawelda, Wojciech
    Time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been utilized to monitor the bimolecular electron transfer in a photocatalytic water splitting system. This has been possible by uniting the local probe and element specific character of X-ray transitions with insights from high-level ab initio calculations. The specific target has been a heteroleptic [IrIII (ppy)2 (bpy)]+ photosensitizer, in combination with triethylamine as a sacrificial reductant and Fe3(CO)12 as a water reduction catalyst. The relevant molecular transitions have been characterized via high-resolution Ir L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy on the picosecond time scale and restricted active space self-consistent field calculations. The presented methods and results will enhance our understanding of functionally relevant bimolecular electron transfer reactions and thus will pave the road to rational optimization of photocatalytic performance.