Highly Efficient,Selective, and Stable CO2 Electroreduction on a Hexagonal Zn Catalyst

Electrocatalytic CO₂ conversion into fuel is a prospective strategy for the sustainable energy production. However, still many parts of the catalyst such as low catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability are challenging. Herein, a hierarchical hexagonal Zn catalyst showed highly efficient and, more importantly, stable performance as an electrocatalyst for selectively producing CO. Moreover, we found that its high selectivity for CO is attributed to morphology. In electrochemical analysis, Zn (101) facet is favorable to CO formation whereas Zn (002) facet favors the H₂ evolution during CO₂ electrolysis. Indeed, DFT calculations showed that (101) facet lowers a reduction potential for CO₂ to CO by more effectively stabilizing a ^.COOH intermediate than (002) facet. This further suggests that tuning the crystal structure to control (101)/(002) facet ratio of Zn can be considered as a key design principle to achieve a desirable product from Zn catalyst.     

Zinc Imine Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane as a Quattro-Site Catalyst for the Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates from Epoxides and Low-Pressure CO2

In the present research, the synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, and structural investigations of a unique Zn^II complex of imine-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) is designed, and hereby described, as a catalyst for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO₂. The uncommon features of the designed catalytic system is the elimination of the need for a high pressure of CO₂ and the significant shortening of reaction times commonly associated with such difficult transformations like that of styrene oxide to styrene carbonate. Our studies have shown that imine-POSS is able to chelate metal ions like Zn^II to form a unique coordination complex. The silsesquioxane core and the hindrance of the side arms (their steric effect) influence the construction process of the homoleptic Zn₄@POSS-1 complex. The compound was characterized in solution by NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ²⁹Si), ESI-MS, UV/Vis spectroscopy and in the solid state by thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), elemental analysis, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CP MAS) NMR (¹³C, ²⁹Si) spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography.     

Mechanism of the Cycloaddition of Carbon Dioxide and Epoxides Catalyzed by Cobalt‐Substituted 12‐Tungstenphosphate

Co^II‐substituted α‐Keggin‐type 12‐tungstenphosphate [(n‐ C₄H₉)₄N]₄H[PW₁₁Co(H₂O)O₃₉]‐ (PW₁₁Co) is synthesized and used as a single‐component, solvent‐free catalyst in the cycloaddition reaction of CO₂ and epoxides to form cyclic carbonates. The mechanism of the cycloaddition reaction is investigated using DFT calculations, which provides the first computational study of the catalytic cycle of polyoxometalate‐catalyzed CO₂ coupling reactions. The reaction occurs through a single‐electron transfer from the doublet Co^II catalyst to the epoxide and forms a doublet Co^III–carbon radical intermediate. Subsequent CO₂ addition forms the cyclic carbonate product. The existence of radical intermediates is supported by free‐radical termination experiments. Finally, it is exhilarating to observe that the calculated overall reaction barrier (30.5 kcal mol^?1) is in good agreement with the real reaction rate (83 h^?1) determined in the present experiments (at 150 °C).     

A DFT Study on the Mechanism of the Cycloaddition Reaction of CO2 to Epoxides Catalyzed by Zn(Salphen) Complexes

The reaction mechanism for the Zn(salphen)/NBu₄X (X=Br, I) mediated cycloaddition of CO₂ to a series of epoxides, affording five‐membered cyclic carbonate products has been investigated in detail by using DFT methods. The ring‐opening step of the process was examined and the preference for opening at the methylene (C_β) or methine carbon (C_α) was established. Furthermore, calculations were performed to clarify the reasons for the lethargic behavior of internal epoxides in the presence of the binary catalyst. Also, the CO₂ insertion and the ring‐closing steps have been explored for six differently substituted epoxides and proved to be significantly more challenging compared with the ring‐opening step. The computational findings should allow the design and application of more efficient catalysts for organic carbonate formation.     

CO2 Fixation and Transformation by a Dinuclear Copper Cryptate under Acidic Conditions

CO₂ fixation and transformation by metal complexes continuously receive attention from the viewpoint of carbon resources and environmental concerns. We found that the dinuclear copper(II) cryptate [Cu₂L¹](ClO₄)₄ ( 1 ; L¹=N[(CH₂)₂NHCH₂(m‐C₆H₄)CH₂NH‐(CH₂)₂]₃N) can easily take up atmospheric CO₂ even under weakly acidic conditions at room temperature and convert it from bicarbonate into carbonate monoesters in alcohol solution. The compounds [Cu₂L¹(μ‐O₂COH)](ClO₄)₃ ( 2 ), [Cu₂L¹(μ‐O₂COR)](ClO₄)₃ ( 3 : R=CH₃; 4 : R=C₂H₅; 5 : R=C₃H₇; 6 : R=C₄H₉; 7 : R=C₅H₁₁; 8 : R=CH₂CH₂OH), [Cu₂L¹(μ‐O₂CCH₃)](ClO₄)₃ ( 9 ), and [Cu₂L¹(OH₂)(NO₃)](NO₃)₃ ( 10 ) were characterized by IR spectroscopy and ESI‐MS. The crystal structures of 2 – 6 and 10 were studied by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. On the basis of the crystal structures, solution studies, and DFT calculations, a possible mechanism for CO₂ fixation and transformation is given.     

Mechanistic aspects of the metal catalyzed alternating copolymerization of epoxides and carbon monoxide

The cobalt-catalyzed alternating copolymerization of epoxides and CO is a novel, direct approach to aliphatic polyesters, such as poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). This reaction was found to be catalyzed by Ph3Si[Co(CO)4] (4) and pyridine affording in a first step the stable mono-insertion product Ph3Si-O-CH(CH3)-CH2-CO-Co(CO)4 (5). However, a profound mechanistic understanding, especially of the role of pyridine as the key component for the polymerization reaction was missing. ATR-IR online monitoring under catalytic conditions and DFT calculations were used to show that an acylpyridinium cation is formed by cleavage of the cobalt-acyl bond of 5 in the presence of pyridine. The Lewis acid thus generated activates the next incoming epoxide monomer for ring opening through [Co(CO)4]-. The catalytic cycle is completed by a subsequent CO insertion in the new cobalt-alkyl bond. The calculations are used to explore the energetic hypersurface of the polymerization reaction and are complemented by extended experimental investigations that also support the mechanistic hypotheses.     

Hydrogenation of CO2 to Formic Acid with a Highly Active Ruthenium Acriphos Complex in DMSO and DMSO/Water

The novel [Ru(Acriphos)(PPh₃)(Cl)(PhCO₂)] [ 1 ; Acriphos=4,5‐bis(diphenylphosphino)acridine] is an excellent precatalyst for the hydrogenation of CO₂ to give formic acid in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and DMSO/H₂O without the need for amine bases as co‐reagents. Turnover numbers (TONs) of up to 4200 and turnover frequencies (TOFs) of up to 260 h^?1 were achieved, thus rendering 1 one of the most active catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenations under additive‐free conditions reported to date. The thermodynamic stabilization of the reaction product by the reaction medium, through hydrogen bonds between formic acid and clusters of solvent or water, were rationalized by DFT calculations. The relatively low final concentration of formic acid obtained experimentally under catalytic conditions (0.33 mol L^?1) was shown to be limited by product‐dependent catalyst inhibition rather than thermodynamic limits, and could be overcome by addition of small amounts of acetate buffer, thus leading to a maximum concentration of free formic acid of 1.27 mol L^?1, which corresponds to optimized values of TON=16×10³ and TOF_avg≈10³ h^?1.     

Highly Efficient CO2 Electroreduction on ZnN4‐based Single‐Atom Catalyst

The electrochemical reduction reaction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) to carbon monoxide (CO) is the basis for the further synthesis of more complex carbon‐based fuels or attractive feedstock. Single‐atom catalysts have unique electronic and geometric structures with respect to their bulk counterparts, thus exhibiting unexpected catalytic activities. A nitrogen‐anchored Zn single‐atom catalyst is presented for CO formation from CO2RR with high catalytic activity (onset overpotential down to 24 mV), high selectivity (Faradaic efficiency for CO (FE_CO) up to 95 % at ?0.43 V), remarkable durability (>75 h without decay of FE_CO), and large turnover frequency (TOF, up to 9969 h^?1). Further experimental and DFT results indicate that the four‐nitrogen‐anchored Zn single atom (Zn‐N₄) is the main active site for CO2RR with low free energy barrier for the formation of *COOH as the rate‐limiting step.     

Lactide Polymerisation with Air‐Stable and Highly Active Zinc Complexes with Guanidine–Pyridine Hybrid Ligands

New class of air‐stable catalysts for lactide polymerisation: Guanidine–pyridine hybrid ligands (picture, left) were used to prepare a series of zinc complexes (e.g., depicted cation [ZnL₂(CF₃SO₃)]⁺, where L is the quinoline‐containing ligand with R¹=R²=R³=R⁴=Me), in which the ligand binds through two different N‐donor atoms. The zinc complexes show high activity in ring‐opening polymerisation of d,l ‐lactide (right), giving polylactide with molecular masses up to 176 000 g mol^?1 and in high yield.

     

A Porphyrin‐Based Porous rtl Metal–Organic Framework as an Efficient Catalyst for the Cycloaddition of CO2 to Epoxides

A porous rtl metal–organic framework (MOF) [Mn₅L(H₂O)₆?(DMA)₂]?5DMA?4C₂H₅OH ( 1? Mn) (H₁₀L=5,10,15,20‐tetra(4‐(3,5‐dicarboxylphenoxy)phenyl)porphyrin; DMA=N,N′‐dimethylacetamide) was synthesized by employing a new porphyrin‐based octacarboxylic acid ligand. 1? Mn exhibits high Mn^II density in the porous framework, providing it great Lewis‐acid heterogeneous catalytic capability for the cycloaddition of CO₂ with epoxides. Strikingly, 1? Mn features excellent catalytic activity to the cycloaddition of CO₂ to epoxides, with a remarkable initial turnover frequency 400 per mole of catalyst per hour at 20 atm. As‐synthesized 1? Mn also exhibits size selectivity to different epoxide substrates on account of their steric hindrance. The high catalytic activity, size selectivity, and stability toward the epoxides on catalytic cycloaddition of CO₂ make 1? Mn a promising heterogeneous catalyst for fixation and utilization of CO₂.     

Mg(OH)Cl/KI as a Highly Active Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates from CO2 and Epoxides under Solvent‐Free Conditions

The combination of magnesium hydroxyl chloride [Mg(OH)Cl] with KI could efficiently catalyze the coupling reaction of carbon dioxide with epoxides to give the corresponding cyclic carbonates in good to excellent yields (75.0% –98.3%) and high selectivity (99.6%) in the absence of organic solvents. The heterogeneous catalyst Mg(OH)Cl/KI could be reused at least six times almost without loss of the catalytic activity. The influence of some key factors (such as molar ratio of Mg(OH)Cl to KI, temperature, reaction time and CO₂ pressure) on the reaction was also discussed.     

2,2 -联吡啶钌配合物催化CO2制备环状碳酸酯机理研究

研究了2,2 -联吡啶钌配合物RuCl₃(2,2 -bipy)(CH₃OH)与十六烷基三甲基氯化铵(CTAC)组成的催化体系催化二氧化碳与不同的环氧化合物进行环加成反应制备环状碳酸酯. 在此基础上, 利用电喷雾质谱(ESI-MS)对RuCl₃(2,2 -bipy)(CH₃OH)/CTAC催化CO₂与环氧丙烷(PO)反应制备碳酸丙烯酯(PC)进行了研究, 检测到了反应中间态配合物RuCl₃(2,2 -bipy)(PO)与RuCl₃(2,2 -bipy)(PC), 为该反应机理研究提供了实验证据. 研究结果表明, RuCl₃(2,2 -bipy)(CH₃OH)/CTAC催化体系催化CO₂与环氧化合物的反应首先是通过环氧化合物与RuCl₃(2,2 -bipy)(CH₃OH)中的甲醇分子发生配体交换引发的, 经CTAC中的氯离子进攻环氧化合物开环、二氧化碳插入Ru—O键、分子内关环及消去生成环状碳酸酯.     

Mechanistic Investigation into the Cleavage of a Phosphomonoester Mediated by a Symmetrical Oxyimine‐Based Macrocyclic Zinc(II) Complex

Density functional calculations are utilized to explore the hydrolysis mechanisms of the phosphomonoester 4‐nitrophenyl phosphate catalyzed by a symmetrical zinc(II) complex. The formation process and properties of the active catalyst are verified. Eight plausible mechanisms are proposed and categorized into three groups. All of the proposed mechanisms, except for Mechanism 7 (see text), are S_N2‐type addition–substitution reaction pathways. Nucleophilic attack at the ortho position occurs in Mechanism 7 with a relatively high reaction barrier. Mechanisms 1 and 2 in the monocatalyst model, Mechanisms 5 to 7 in the sandwich‐dual‐catalyst model, as well as the nucleophilic addition–substitution step in Mechanism 8 are concerted reaction pathways, whereas the rest appear to occur in a stepwise manner. Meanwhile, the explicit solvent model is utilized to consider direct hydrogen bonds and solvation interactions and these results indicate that the added water molecule is involved in the hydrolysis process, but does not change the mechanisms significantly. Mechanism 8, with the lowest reaction barrier, is the most favored reaction pathway of the eight proposed mechanisms, although Mechanisms 1, 4, and 6 are in competition with Mechanism 8. In consideration of the zinc(II) complex concentration, Mechanism 1 is only the predominant reaction pathway at a low zinc(II) complex concentration; Mechanisms 4 and 6 tend to be more competitive with increasing concentration of the zinc(II) complexes, and Mechanism 8 is favored at high zinc(II) complex concentrations. Our calculated results are consistent with, and can be used to systematically interpret, experimental observations. More importantly, insightful suggestions are made regarding the catalyst design and selection of the reaction environment.     

Metal‐Free Reduction of CO2 with Hydroboranes: Two Efficient Pathways at Play for the Reduction of CO2 to Methanol

Guanidines and amidines prove to be highly efficient metal‐free catalysts for the reduction of CO₂ to methanol with hydroboranes such as 9‐borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9‐BBN) and catecholborane (catBH). Nitrogen bases, such as 1,5,7‐triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec‐5‐ene (TBD), 7‐methyl‐1,5,7‐triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec‐5‐ene (Me‐TBD), and 1,8‐diazabicycloundec‐7‐ene (DBU), are active catalysts for this transformation and Me‐TBD can catalyze the reduction of CO₂ to methoxyborane at room temperature with TONs and TOFs of up to 648 and 33 h^?1 (25 °C), respectively. Formate HCOOBR₂ and acetal H₂C(OBR₂)₂ derivatives have been identified as reaction intermediates in the reduction of CO₂ with R₂BH, and the first C?H‐bond formation is rate determining. Experimental and computational investigations show that TBD and Me‐TBD follow distinct mechanisms. The N?H bond of TBD is reactive toward dehydrocoupling with 9‐BBN and affords a novel frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) that can activate a CO₂ molecule and form the stable adduct 2 , which is the catalytically active species and can facilitate the hydride transfer from the boron to the carbon atoms. In contrast, Me‐TBD promotes the reduction of CO₂ through the activation of the hydroborane reagent. Detailed DFT calculations have shown that the computed energy barriers for the two mechanisms are consistent with the experimental findings and account for the reactivity of the different boron reductants.     

Highly Active and Robust Metalloporphyrin Catalysts for the Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates from a Broad Range of Epoxides and Carbon Dioxide

Bifunctional metalloporphyrins with quaternary ammonium bromides (nucleophiles) at the meta, para, or ortho positions of meso‐phenyl groups were synthesized as catalysts for the formation of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide under solvent‐free conditions. The meta‐substituted catalysts exhibited high catalytic performance, whereas the para‐ and ortho‐substituted catalysts showed moderate and low activity, respectively. DFT calculations revealed the origin of the advantage of the meta‐substituted catalyst, which could use the flexible quaternary ammonium cation at the meta position to stabilize various anionic species generated during catalysis. A zinc(II) porphyrin with eight nucleophiles at the meta positions showed very high catalytic activity (turnover number (TON)=240 000 at 120 °C, turnover frequency (TOF)=31 500 h^?1 at 170 °C) at an initial CO₂ pressure of 1.7 MPa; catalyzed the reaction even at atmospheric CO₂ pressure (balloon) at ambient temperature (20 °C); and was applicable to a broad range of substrates, including terminal and internal epoxides.     

Conversion of CO2 and C2H6 to Propanoic Acid over a Au‐Exchanged MCM‐22 Zeolite

Finding novel catalysts for the direct conversion of CO₂ to fuels and chemicals is a primary goal in energy and environmental research. In this work, density functional theory (DFT) is used to study possible reaction mechanisms for the conversion of CO₂ and C₂H₆ to propanoic acid over a gold‐exchanged MCM‐22 zeolite catalyst. The reaction begins with the activation of ethane to produce a gold ethyl hydride intermediate. Hydrogen transfers to the framework oxygen leads then to gold ethyl adsorbed on the Brønsted‐acid site. The energy barriers for these steps of ethane activation are 9.3 and 16.3 kcal mol^?1, respectively. Two mechanisms of propanoic acid formation are investigated. In the first one, the insertion of CO₂ into the Au?H bond of the first intermediate yields gold carboxyl ethyl as subsequent intermediate. This is then converted to propanoic acid by forming the relevant C?C bond. The activation energy of the rate‐determining step of this pathway is 48.2 kcal mol^?1. In the second mechanism, CO₂ interacts with gold ethyl adsorbed on the Brønsted‐acid site. Propanoic acid is formed via protonation of CO₂ by the Brønsted acid and the simultaneous formation of a bond between CO₂ and the ethyl group. The activation energy there is 44.2 kcal mol^?1, favoring this second pathway at least at low temperatures. Gold‐exchanged MCM‐22 zeolite can therefore, at least in principle, be used as the catalyst for producing propanoic acid from CO₂ and ethane.