A series of nickel bis(chelate) complexes having square planar coordination are studied for light-driven and electrocatalytic hydrogen production from water. The complexes Ni(abt)2 (abt = 2-aminobenzenethiolate), Ni(mp)2 (mp = 2-mercaptophenolate) and Ni(mpo)2 (mpo = 2-mercaptopyridyl-N-oxide) are found to be active catalysts under light-driven conditions, using fluorescein (Fl) as the photosensitizer (PS) and triethanolamine (TEOA) as the sacrificial electron donor in water under basic pH (pH = 9.8). These molecular systems achieve a turnover number (TON) of ∼6000 (relative to catalyst) and are stable for more than 100 h under H2-generating conditions. When water-soluble CdSe quantum dots with tripodal S-donor capping agents are employed as PS and ascorbic acid (AA) is used as the sacrificial electron donor at pH 4.5, an active and robust system is obtained for the light-driven generation of H2 from aqueous protons. A TON of over 280 000 is achieved for the three active catalysts. These complexes are also examined electrochemically in organic solvents with weak organic acids as the proton source and in aqueous and aqueous/organic media for proton reduction. The most active photochemical catalysts also show excellent electrocatalytic activity in neutral pH water, achieving Faradaic yields close to 100% under anaerobic conditions and ∼80% under aerobic conditions.
Unique tripodal S-donor capping agents with an attached carboxylate are found to bind tightly to the surface of CdSe nanocrystals (NCs), making the latter water soluble. Unlike that in similarly solubilized CdSe NCs with one-sulfur or two-sulfur capping agents, dissociation from the NC surface is greatly reduced. The impact of this behavior is seen in the photochemical generation of H 2 in which the CdSe NCs function as the light absorber with metal complexes in aqueous solution as the H 2 -forming catalyst and ascorbic acid as the electron donor source. This precious-metalfree system for H 2 generation from water using [Co(bdt) 2 ]− (bdt, benzene-1,2-dithiolate) as the catalyst exhibits excellent activity with a quantum yield for H 2 formation of 24% at 520 nm light and durability with >300,000 turnovers relative to catalyst in 60 h.photochemistry | solar energy | catalysis | water splitting | quantum dots A rtificial photosynthesis (AP) represents an important strategy for energy conversion from sunlight to storage in chemical bonds (1-4). Unlike natural photosynthesis in which CO 2 + H 2 O are converted into carbohydrates and O 2 , the key energy-storing reaction in AP is the splitting of water into its constituent elements of hydrogen and oxygen (5-16). As a redox reaction, water splitting can be divided into two half-reactions, of which the light-driven generation of H 2 is the reductive component. Many systems for the photogeneration of H 2 have been described over the years and they typically consist of a light absorber, a catalyst for H 2 formation, and sources of protons and electrons. For systems that function in aqueous media, the protons are provided by water, whereas for nonaqueous systems, the protons are provided by weak, generally organic acids. The source of electrons in these photochemical systems is generally a sacrificial electron donor-that is, a compound that decomposes following one electron oxidation.Reports of the light-driven generation of hydrogen date back more than 30 y, beginning with a multicomponent system containing [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ (where bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine) as the chromophore or photosensitizer (PS) and colloidal Pt as the catalyst for making H 2 from protons and electrons (17). In these and many subsequent systems, electron mediators were used to accept an electron from the excited chromophore, PS*-thereby serving as an oxidative quencher-and transfer it to the catalyst. Whereas two of the initial mediators were bpy complexes of rhodium and cobalt (17, 18), the overwhelming majority of electron mediators in these systems were dialkylated 2,2′-and 4,4′-bipyridines and their derivatives (19)(20)(21)(22). The most extensively used of these mediators was methyl viologen (MV 2+ , dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium, usually as its chloride salt). These mediators were subsequently found to undergo deactivation in their role by hydrogenation (23, 24). The sacrificial electron donors used in these studies depended on system pH and were generally based on compounds having tertiary amine func...
Diverse lignin samples have been subjected to a catalytic aerobic oxidation process, followed by formic-acid-induced hydrolytic depolymerization. The yield of monomeric aromatic compounds varies depending on the lignin plant source and pretreatment method. The best results are obtained from poplar lignin isolated via a acidolysis pretreatment method, which gives 42 wt% yield of low-molecular-weight aromatics. Use of other pretreatment methods and/or use of maple and maize lignins afford yields of aromatics ranging from 3 to 31 wt%. These results establish useful references for the development of improved oxidation/depolymerization protocols.
Electrocatalytic methods for organic synthesis could offer sustainable alternatives to traditional redox reactions, but strategies are needed to enhance the performance of molecular catalysts designed for this purpose. Herein, we describe the synthesis of a pyrene-tethered TEMPO derivative (TEMPO = 2,2,6,6-tetra-methylpiperidinyl-N-oxyl) that undergoes facile in situ non-covalent immobilization onto a carbon-cloth electrode. Cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential electrolysis studies demonstrate that the immobilized catalyst exhibits much higher activity relative to, 4-acetamido-TEMPO, an electronically similar homogeneous catalyst. Turnover numbers and frequencies approach 2000 and 4000 h−1, respectively, in preparative electrolysis experiments with a series of alcohol substrates. The synthetic utility of the method is further demonstrated in the oxidation of a sterically hindered hydroxymethylpyrimidine precursor to the blockbuster drug, rosuvastatin.
The well-known [(TAML)Fe(OH2)]− complex undergoes proton-coupled oxidation to an Fe-oxo species that supports electrochemical C–H oxidation and alcohol dehydrogenation.
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