PNNL

Abstract

A nickel bis(diphosphine) complex containing pendant amines in the second coordination sphere, [Ni(PCy2Nt-Bu2)2](BF4)2 (PCy2Nt-Bu2 = 1,5-di(tert-butyl)-3,7-dicyclohexyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane), is an electrocatalyst for hydrogen oxidation. Under 1.0 atm H2 using NEt3 as a base and with added water, a turnover frequency of 45 s-1 is observed at 23 °C; this is the fastest observed for a molecular catalyst. The addition of hydrogen to the NiII complex gives thee isomers of the doubly protonated Ni0 complex [Ni(PCy2HNt-Bu2)2](BF4)2; these complexes have been studied by 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy, and for one isomer, an X-ray diffraction study. Using the pKa values and NiII/I and NiI/0 redox potentials in a thermochemical cycle, the free energy of hydrogen addition to [Ni(PCy2Nt-Bu2)2]2+ was determined to be -7.9 kcal mol-1. The catalytic rate observed in dry acetonitrile for the oxidation of H2 at the NiII/I couple depends on base size, with larger bases (NEt3, tert-BuNH2) resulting in slower catalysis than n-BuNH2. Addition of water accelerates the rate of catalysis, especially for the larger bases. The results of these studies provide important insights into the design of catalysts for hydrogen oxidation that facilitate proton movement and operate at moderate potentials. This research was supported as part of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy.