ABSTRACT
Methods for positionally selective remote C-H functionalizations are in high demand. Herein, we disclose the first heterogeneous ruthenium catalyst for meta-selective C-H functionalizations, which enabled remote halogenations with excellent site selectivity and ample scope. The versatile heterogeneous Ru@SiO2 catalyst was broadly applicable and could be easily recovered and reused, which set the stage for the direct fluorescent labeling of purines. In contrast to palladium, rhodium, iridium, or cobalt complexes, solely the ruthenium catalysis manifold provided access to meta-halogenated purine derivatives, illustrating the unique power of ruthenium C-H activation catalysis.
ABSTRACT
Herein, we report the synthesis and species distribution of copper(ii) complexes based on two different ligand scaffolds and the application of the two complexes in the electrochemical proton reduction catalysis. The ligands bind to one or two copper(II) ions and the pH-dependent mono/dinuclear equilibrium depends on the steric bulk of the ligands. The two water soluble copper(II) complexes were investigated for their activities in the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In both complexes the copper(ii) ions have a N4-coordination environment composed of N-heterocycles, although in different coordination geometries (SPY-5 and TBPY-5). The solutions of the complexes were highly active catalysts in water at acidic pH but the complexes decompose under catalytic conditions. They act as precursors for highly active copper(0) and Cu2O deposits at the electrode surface, which are in turn the active catalysts. The absence or presence of the ligands has neither an influence on the catalytic activity of the solutions nor an influence on the activity of the deposit formed during controlled potential electrolysis. Finally, we can draw some conclusions on the stability of copper catalysts in the aqueous electrochemical HER.
ABSTRACT
An improved understanding of the correlation between the electronic properties of Mn-O bonds, activity and stability of electro-catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of great importance for an improved catalyst design. Here, an in-depth study of the relation between lattice structure, electronic properties and catalyst performance of the perovskite Ca1-xPrxMnO3 and the first-order RP-system Ca2-xPrxMnO4 at doping levels of x = 0, 0.25 and 0.5 is presented. Lattice structure is determined by X-ray powder diffraction and Rietveld refinement. X-ray absorption spectroscopy of Mn-L and O-K edges gives access to Mn valence and covalency of the Mn-O bond. Oxygen evolution activity and stability is measured by rotating ring disc electrode studies. We demonstrate that the highest activity and stability coincidences for systems with a Mn-valence state of +3.7, though also requiring that the covalency of the Mn-O bond has a relative minimum. This observation points to an oxygen evolution mechanism with high redox activity of Mn. Covalency should be large enough for facile electron transfer from adsorbed oxygen species to the MnO6 network; however, it should not be hampered by oxidation of the lattice oxygen, which might cause a crossover to material degradation. Since valence and covalency changes are not entirely independent, the introduction of the energy position of the eg↑ pre-edge peak in the O-K spectra as a new descriptor for oxygen evolution is suggested, leading to a volcano-like representation of the OER activity.
