Heterogeneous Catalysis and Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization

Parahydrogen-induced polarization with heterogeneous catalysts (HET-PHIP) has been a subject of extensive research in the last decade since its first observation in 2007. While NMR signal enhancements obtained with such catalysts are currently below those achieved with transition metal complexes in homogeneous hydrogenations in solution, this relatively new field demonstrates major prospects for a broad range of advanced fundamental and practical applications, from providing catalyst-free hyperpolarized fluids for biomedical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to exploring mechanisms of industrially important heterogeneous catalytic processes. This review covers the evolution of the heterogeneous catalysts used for PHIP observation, from metal complexes immobilized on solid supports to bulk metals and single-atom catalysts and discusses the general visions for maximizing the obtained NMR signal enhancements using HET-PHIP. Various practical applications of HET-PHIP, both for catalytic studies and for potential production of hyperpolarized contrast agents for MRI, are described.     

Catalytic Hydrogenation of Trivinyl Orthoacetate: Mechanisms Elucidated by Parahydrogen Induced Polarization

Parahydrogen (pH₂) induced polarization (PHIP) is a unique method that is used in analytical chemistry to elucidate catalytic hydrogenation pathways and to increase the signal of small metabolites in MRI and NMR. PHIP is based on adding or exchanging at least one pH₂ molecule with a target molecule. Thus, the spin order available for hyperpolarization is often limited to that of one pH₂ molecule. To break this limit, we investigated the addition of multiple pH₂ molecules to one precursor. We studied the feasibility of the simultaneous hydrogenation of three arms of trivinyl orthoacetate (TVOA) intending to obtain hyperpolarized acetate. It was found that semihydrogenated TVOA underwent a fast decomposition accompanied by several minor reactions including an exchange of geminal methylene protons of a vinyl ester with pH₂. The study shows that multiple vinyl ester groups are not suitable for a fast and clean (without any side products) hydrogenation and hyperpolarization that is desired in biochemical applications.     

Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization in Hydrogenation Reactions Mediated by a Metal-Free Catalyst

We report nuclear spin hyperpolarization of various alkenes achieved in alkyne hydrogenations with parahydrogen over a metal-free hydroborane catalyst (HCAT). Being an intramolecular frustrated Lewis pair aminoborane, HCAT utilizes a non-pairwise mechanism of H₂ transfer to alkynes that normally prevents parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) from being observed. Nevertheless, the specific spin dynamics in catalytic intermediates leads to the hyperpolarization of predominantly one hydrogen in alkene. PHIP enabled the detection of important HCAT-alkyne-H₂ intermediates through substantial ¹H, ¹¹B and ¹⁵N signal enhancement and allowed advanced characterization of the catalytic process.     

Heterogeneous 1H and 13C Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization of Acetate and Pyruvate Esters

Magnetic resonance imaging of [1-¹³C]hyperpolarized carboxylates (most notably, [1-¹³C]pyruvate) allows one to visualize abnormal metabolism in tumors and other pathologies. Herein, we investigate the efficiency of ¹H and ¹³C hyperpolarization of acetate and pyruvate esters with ethyl, propyl and allyl alcoholic moieties using heterogeneous hydrogenation of corresponding vinyl, allyl and propargyl precursors in isotopically unlabeled and 1-¹³C-enriched forms with parahydrogen over Rh/TiO₂ catalysts in methanol-d₄ and in D₂O. The maximum obtained ¹H polarization was 0.6±0.2 % (for propyl acetate in CD₃OD), while the highest ¹³C polarization was 0.10±0.03 % (for ethyl acetate in CD₃OD). Hyperpolarization of acetate esters surpassed that of pyruvates, while esters with a triple carbon-carbon bond in unsaturated alcoholic moiety were less efficient as parahydrogen-induced polarization precursors than esters with a double bond. Among the compounds studied, the maximum ¹H and ¹³C NMR signal intensities were observed for propyl acetate. Ethyl acetate yielded slightly less intense NMR signals which were dramatically greater than those of other esters under study.     

Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization of Diethyl Ether Anesthetic

The growing interest in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing regional lung function relies on the use of nuclear spin hyperpolarized gas as a contrast agent. The long gas-phase lifetimes of hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe make this inhalable contrast agent acceptable for clinical research today despite limitations such as high cost, low throughput of production and challenges of ¹²⁹Xe imaging on clinical MRI scanners, which are normally equipped with proton detection only. We report on low-cost and high-throughput preparation of proton-hyperpolarized diethyl ether, which can be potentially employed for pulmonary imaging with a nontoxic, simple, and sensitive overall strategy using proton detection commonly available on all clinical MRI scanners. Diethyl ether is hyperpolarized by pairwise parahydrogen addition to vinyl ethyl ether and characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Proton polarization levels exceeding 8 % are achieved at near complete chemical conversion within seconds, causing the activation of radio amplification by stimulated emission radiation (RASER) throughout detection. Although gas-phase T₁ relaxation of hyperpolarized diethyl ether (at partial pressure of 0.5 bar) is very efficient, with T₁ of ca. 1.2 second, we demonstrate that, at low magnetic fields, the use of long-lived singlet states created via pairwise parahydrogen addition extends the relaxation decay by approximately threefold, paving the way to bioimaging applications and beyond.     

Metabolic Studies of Tumor Cells Using [1-13C] Pyruvate Hyperpolarized by Means of PHIP-Side Arm Hydrogenation

The kinetics of metabolic processes can be assessed, in real time by means of MR hyperpolarized (HP) metabolites. [1-¹³C]pyruvate, hyperpolarized by means of d-DNP, is, by far, the substrate most widely applied to the investigation of several pathologies characterized by deregulated glycolytic metabolic networks, including cancer. Hyperpolarization of [1-¹³C]pyruvate by means of the cost effective, fast and easy to handle PHIP-SAH (para-hydrogen induced polarization-side arm hydrogenation) method opens-up a pathway for the application of HP metabolites to a wide range of cancer-related studies. Herein, we report the first application of PHIP-SAH hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate in the investigation of upregulated glycolysis in two murine breast cancer cell lines (168FARN and 4T1). The results obtained using HP pyruvate have been validated with a conventional biochemical assay and are coherent with previously-reported lactate dehydrogenase activity measured in those cells.     

Selective Hydrogenation of CO2 to Ethanol over Cobalt Catalysts

Methods for the hydrogenation of CO₂ into valuable chemicals are in great demand but their development is still challenging. Herein, we report the selective hydrogenation of CO₂ into ethanol over non‐noble cobalt catalysts (CoAlO_x), presenting a significant advance for the conversion of CO₂ into ethanol as the major product. By adjusting the composition of the catalysts through the use of different prereduction temperatures, the efficiency of CO₂ to ethanol hydrogenation was optimized; the catalyst reduced at 600 ° gave an ethanol selectivity of 92.1 % at 140 °C with an ethanol time yield of 0.444 mmol g^?1 h^?1. Operando FT‐IR spectroscopy revealed that the high ethanol selectivity over the CoAlO_x catalyst might be due to the formation of acetate from formate by insertion of *CH_x, a key intermediate in the production of ethanol by CO₂ hydrogenation.     

Heterogeneous Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization of Diethyl Ether for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Applications

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the use of hyperpolarized gases as contrast agents provides valuable information on lungs structure and function. While the technology of ¹²⁹Xe hyperpolarization for clinical MRI research is well developed, it requires the expensive equipment for production and detection of hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe. Herein we present the ¹H hyperpolarization of diethyl ether vapor that can be imaged on any clinical MRI scanner. ¹H nuclear spin polarization of up to 1.3 % was achieved using heterogeneous hydrogenation of ethyl vinyl ether with parahydrogen over Rh/TiO₂ catalyst. Liquefaction of diethyl ether vapor proceeds with partial preservation of hyperpolarization and prolongs its lifetime by ≈10 times. The proof-of-principle 2D ¹H MRI of hyperpolarized diethyl ether was demonstrated with 0.1×1.1 mm² spatial and 120 ms temporal resolution. The long history of use of diethyl ether for anesthesia is expected to facilitate the clinical translation of the presented approach.     

Hydrogenation studies involving halobis(phosphine)-rhodium(I) dimers: use of parahydrogen induced polarisation to detect species present at low concentration

Reaction of [RhCl(PPh3)2]2 with parahydrogen revealed that the binuclear dihydride [Rh(H)2(PPh3)2mu-Cl)2Rh(PPh3)2] and the tetrahydride complex [Rh(H)2(PPh3)2(mu-Cl)]2 are readily formed. While magnetisation transfer from free H2 into both the hydride resonances of the tetrahydride and [Rh(H)2Cl(PPh3)3] is observable, neither transfer into [Rh(H)2(PPh3)2(mu-Cl)2Rh(PPh3)2] nor transfer between the two binuclear complexes is seen. Consequently [Rh(H)2(PPh3)2(mu-Cl)]2 and [Rh(H)2(PPh3)2(mu-Cl)2Rh(PPh3)2] are not connected on the NMR timescale by simple elimination or addition of H2. The rapid exchange of free H2 into the tetrahydride proceeds via reversible halide bridge rupture and the formation of [Rh(H)2(PPh3)2(mu-Cl)RhCl(H)2(PPh3)2]. When these reactions are examined in CD2Cl2, the formation of the solvent complex [Rh(H)2(PPh3)2(mu-Cl)2Rh(CD2Cl2)(PPh3)] and the deactivation products [Rh(Cl)(H)PPh3)2(mu-Cl)(mu-H)Rh(Cl)(H)PPh3)2] and [Rh(Cl)(H)(CD2Cl2)(PPh3)(mu-Cl)(mu-H)Rh(Cl)(H)PPh3)2] is indicated. In the presence of an alkene and parahydrogen, signals corresponding to binuclear complexes of the type [Rh(H)2(PPh3)2(mu-Cl)(2)(Rh)(PPh3)(alkene)] are detected. These complexes undergo intramolecular hydride interchange in a process that is independent of the concentration of styrene and catalyst and involves halide bridge rupture, followed by rotation about the remaining Rh-Cl bridge, and bridge re-establishment. This process is facilitated by electron rich alkenes. Magnetisation transfer from the hydride ligands of these complexes into the alkyl group of the hydrogenation product is also observed. Hydrogenation is proposed to proceed via binuclear complex fragmentation and trapping of the resultant intermediate [RhCl(H)2PPh3)2] by the alkene. Studies on a number of other binuclear dihydride complexes including [(H)(Cl)Rh(PMe3)2(mu-H)(mu-Cl)Rh(CO)(PMe3)], [(H)2Rh(PMe3)2(mu-Cl)2Rh(CO)(PMe3)] and [HRh(PMe3)2(mu-H)(mu-Cl)2Rh(CO)(PMe3)] reveal that such species are able to play a similar role in hydrogenation catalysis. When the analogous iodide complexes [RhIPPh3)2]2 and [RhI(PPh3)3] are examined, [Rh(H)2(PPh3)2(mu-I)2Rh(PPh3)2], [Rh(H)2(PPh3)2(mu-I)]2 and [Rh(H)2I(PPh3)3] are observed in addition to the corresponding binuclear alkene-dihydride products. The higher initial activity of these precursors is offset by the formation of the trirhodium phosphide bridged deactivation product, [[(H)(PPh3)Rh(mu-H)(mu-I)(mu-PPh2)Rh(H)(PPh3)](mu-I)2Rh(H)2PPh3)2]     

Shaped Ceria Nanocrystals Catalyze Efficient and Selective Para‐Hydrogen‐Enhanced Polarization

Intense para‐hydrogen‐enhanced NMR signals are observed in the hydrogenation of propene and propyne over ceria nanocubes, nano‐octahedra, and nanorods. The well‐defined ceria shapes, synthesized by a hydrothermal method, expose different crystalline facets with various oxygen vacancy densities, which are known to play a role in hydrogenation and oxidation catalysis. While the catalytic activity of the hydrogenation of propene over ceria is strongly facet‐dependent, the pairwise selectivity is low (2.4 % at 375 °C), which is consistent with stepwise H atom transfer, and it is the same for all three nanocrystal shapes. Selective semi‐hydrogenation of propyne over ceria nanocubes yields hyperpolarized propene with a similar pairwise selectivity of (2.7 % at 300 °C), indicating product formation predominantly by a non‐pairwise addition. Ceria is also shown to be an efficient pairwise replacement catalyst for propene.     

负载型纳米贵金属催化剂催化吡啶及其衍生物的加氢反应

 制备了负载型高分散的纳米贵金属催化剂和含Ru的双金属催化剂,并考察了催化剂对吡啶及其衍生物加氢反应的催化性能. 结果表明, 5%Ru/C催化剂对吡啶加氢反应的催化活性高于5%Pd/C, 5%Pt/C和5%Ir/C. 在100 ℃, 3.0 MPa, 1 h和Ru/吡啶摩尔比=2.5/1000 的条件下, 5%Ru/C催化吡啶加氢的转化率大于99.9%, 生成哌啶的选择性为100%. 催化剂重复使用5次后,活性和选择性无明显下降. 在Ru催化剂中加入少量的Pd和Ir后催化剂活性没有明显的变化. 采用X射线衍射、高分辨透射电镜和X射线光电子能谱对还原后的5%Ru/C催化剂进行表征,结果表明Ru以高分散金属态存在,其平均粒径小于5 nm. 不同底物的加氢反应活性为: 吡啶≈2-甲基吡啶>2,6-二甲基吡啶>3-甲基吡啶>4-甲基吡啶>3,5-二甲基吡啶>2-甲氧基吡啶.     

CO2 Hydrogenation over Oxide‐Supported PtCo Catalysts: The Role of the Oxide Support in Determining the Product Selectivity

By simply changing the oxide support, the selectivity of a metal–oxide catalysts can be tuned. For the CO₂ hydrogenation over PtCo bimetallic catalysts supported on different reducible oxides (CeO₂, ZrO₂, and TiO₂), replacing a TiO₂ support by CeO₂ or ZrO₂ selectively strengthens the binding of C,O‐bound and O‐bound species at the PtCo–oxide interface, leading to a different product selectivity. These results reveal mechanistic insights into how the catalytic performance of metal–oxide catalysts can be fine‐tuned.     

Order-Unity 13C Nuclear Polarization of [1-13C]Pyruvate in Seconds and the Interplay of Water and SABRE Enhancement

Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange in SHield Enabled Alignment Transfer (SABRE-SHEATH) is investigated to achieve rapid hyperpolarization of ¹³C₁ spins of [1-¹³C]pyruvate, using parahydrogen as the source of nuclear spin order. Pyruvate exchange with an iridium polarization transfer complex can be modulated via a sensitive interplay between temperature and co-ligation of DMSO and H₂O. Order-unity ¹³C (>50 %) polarization of catalyst-bound [1-¹³C]pyruvate is achieved in less than 30 s by restricting the chemical exchange of [1-¹³C]pyruvate at lower temperatures. On the catalyst bound pyruvate, 39 % polarization is measured using a 1.4 T NMR spectrometer, and extrapolated to >50 % at the end of build-up in situ. The highest measured polarization of a 30-mM pyruvate sample, including free and bound pyruvate is 13 % when using 20 mM DMSO and 0.5 M water in CD₃OD. Efficient ¹³C polarization is also enabled by favorable relaxation dynamics in sub-microtesla magnetic fields, as indicated by fast polarization buildup rates compared to the T₁ spin-relaxation rates (e. g., ∼0.2 s⁻¹ versus ∼0.1 s⁻¹, respectively, for a 6 mM catalyst-[1-¹³C]pyruvate sample). Finally, the catalyst-bound hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate can be released rapidly by cycling the temperature and/or by optimizing the amount of water, paving the way to future biomedical applications of hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate produced via comparatively fast and simple SABRE-SHEATH-based approaches.     

A Nanoparticle Catalyst for Heterogeneous Phase Para‐Hydrogen‐Induced Polarization in Water

Para‐hydrogen‐induced polarization (PHIP) is a technique capable of producing spin polarization at a magnitude far greater than state‐of‐the‐art magnets. A significant application of PHIP is to generate contrast agents for biomedical imaging. Clinically viable and effective contrast agents not only require high levels of polarization but heterogeneous catalysts that can be used in water to eliminate the toxicity impact. Herein, we demonstrate the use of Pt nanoparticles capped with glutathione to induce heterogeneous PHIP in water. The ligand‐inhibited surface diffusion on the nanoparticles resulted in a ¹H polarization of P=0.25 % for hydroxyethyl propionate, a known contrast agent for magnetic resonance angiography. Transferring the ¹H polarization to a ¹³C nucleus using a para‐hydrogen polarizer yielded a polarization of 0.013 %. The nuclear‐spin polarizations achieved in these experiments are the first reported to date involving heterogeneous reactions in water.     

Efficient and Practical Arene Hydrogenation by Heterogeneous Catalysts under Mild Conditions

An efficient and practical arene hydrogenation procedure based on the use of heterogeneous platinum group catalysts has been developed. Rh/C is the most effective catalyst for the hydrogenation of the aromatic ring, which can be conducted in iPrOH under neutral conditions and at ordinary to medium H₂ pressures (<10 atm). A variety of arenes such as alkylbenzenes, benzoic acids, pyridines, furans, are hydrogenated to the corresponding cyclohexyl and heterocyclic compounds in good to excellent yields. The use of Ru/C, less expensive than Rh/C, affords an effective and practical method for the hydrogenation of arenes including phenols. Both catalysts can be reused several times after simple filtration without any significant loss of catalytic activity.     

Highly Active Supported Pt Nanocatalysts Synthesized by Alcohol Reduction towards Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde: Synergy of Metal Valence and Hydroxyl Groups

The hydrogenation of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes to allylic alcohols or saturated aldehydes provides a typical example to study the catalytic effect on structure‐sensitive reactions. In this work, supported platinum nanocatalysts over hydrotalcite were synthesized by an alcohol reduction method. The Pt catalyst prepared by the reduction with a polyol (ethylene glycol) outperforms those prepared with ethanol and methanol in the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde. The selectivity towards the C=O bond is the highest over the former, although its mean size of Pt particles is the smallest. The hydroxyl groups on hydrotalcite could act as an internally accessible promoter to enhance the selectivity towards the C=O bond. The optimal Pt catalyst showed a high activity with an initial turnover frequency (TOF) of 2.314 s^?1. This work unveils the synergic effect of metal valence and in situ promoter on the chemoselective hydrogenation, which could open up a new direction in designing hydrogenation catalysts.