Development of Proton‐Responsive Catalysts

A changeable ligand, which involves in activation of a catalyst or assists a reaction, draws an increasing attention, in contrast to a classical ligand as spectator. Proton‐responsive catalysts, which are capable of undergoing changes of properties on gaining/losing one or more protons, provides interesting features as follows: (i) catalyst activation by electronic effect, (ii) pH‐tuning of water‐solubility, and (iii) second‐coordination‐sphere interaction. On the basis of this catalyst design concept, we developed several highly efficient proton‐responsive catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation as H₂ storage, formic acid (FA) dehydrogenation as H₂ production, and transfer hydrogenation. The transformable ligands of proton‐responsive catalysts in promoting effective catalysis have aroused our interest. In this account, we summarize our efforts for the development and application of proton‐responsive catalysts. Specifically, the important role of pH‐dependent proton‐responsive complexes will be discussed.