RESUMEN
Electrocatalytic water oxidation is a key transformation in many strategies designed to harness solar energy and store it as chemical fuels. Understanding the mechanism(s) of the best electrocatalysts for water oxidation has been a fundamental chemical challenge for decades. Here, we quantitate evolved dioxygen isotopologue composition via gas-phase EPR spectroscopy to elucidate the mechanisms of water oxidation on metal oxide electrocatalysts with high precision. Isotope fractionation is paired with computational and kinetic modeling, showing that this technique is sensitive enough to differentiate O-O bond-forming steps. Strong agreement between experiment and theory indicates that for the nickel-iron layered double hydroxideâone of the best earth-abundant electrocatalysts to be studiedâwater oxidation proceeds via a dioxo coupling mechanism to form a side-bound peroxide rather than a hydroxide attack to form an end-bound peroxide.
RESUMEN
The 7-azabicyclo[4.3.1]decane ring system, common to a number of biologically active alkaloids, was accessed from tropone (via its η4-diene complex with Fe(CO)3) in a short sequence of steps: 1) nucleophilic amine addition and subsequent Boc-protection, 2) photochemical demetallation of the iron complex, and 3) an intramolecular Heck reaction. Minor modifications to the protocol enabled access to the related 2-azabicyclo[4.4.1]undecane system, albeit in lower yield.