Acid-functionalization of carbon support allows enhancing the electrocatalytic activity of Pd to hydrogenate benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol in proportion to the concentration of Brønsted acid sites. The hydrogenation rate is not enhanced when H2 is used. The rate enhancement is attributed to differences in the hydrogenation mechanism between the electrochemical and the H2 induced hydrogenations, in particular to the participation of hydronium ions formed at Brønsted acid sites at the perimeter of metal particles in proton coupled electron transfer.
Revised: August 19, 2020 |
Published: January 20, 2020
Citation
Koh K., U. Sanyal, M. Lee, G. Cheng, M. Song, V. Glezakou, and Y. Liu, et al. 2020.Electrochemically tunable proton-coupled electron transfer in Pd-catalyzed benzaldehyde hydrogenation.Angewandte Chemie International Edition 59, no. 4:1501-1505.PNNL-SA-144918.doi:10.1002/anie.201912241