Semihydrogenation Of Alkynes Research Articles

Modulating the Aggregation States of a Pd6L4 Cage for Selectivity Flipping during the Stereo-Divergent Semi-Hydrogenation of Alkynes.

An enzyme-mimicking catalytic system has been established using a singular palladium-based octahedral cage as the supramolecular reactor, deftly unlocking off-on-off selectivity in the semi-hydrogenation of alkynes. Water serves as a critical regulator, modulating the catalyst states, reaction rates, and endpoints. The choice of solvent system influences the activity of host-guest binding and the reaction types of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, effectively modifying the reaction steps involved in the Z→E isomerization during the semi-hydrogenation of alkynes. Kinetic and inhibition experiments indicate that the catalyst mimics the binding and activation characteristics of enzymes towards substrates, enabling selective transformations within the confined enzyme-mimicking environment. The utility of this switchable cage-confined catalysis has been demonstrated in the synthesis and modification of complex biologically active molecules with controllable E/Z selectivity. This work sheds light on the design and control of artificial supramolecular counterparts of enzymes, offering fundamental insights into the factors influencing the activity and catalytic selectivity of biological macromolecules.

Highly efficient and cis-selective semihydrogenation of dialkyl alkynes with EtOH enforced by a catalyst-state induced color-change strategy

Highly efficient and cis-selective semihydrogenation of dialkyl alkynes with EtOH enforced by a catalyst-state induced color-change strategy

Highly Efficient and Selective Electrocatalytic Semihydrogenation of Acetylene to Ethylene via Continuous Proton Feeding and Accelerated Transfer on Cu NP/FeNC Composite

AbstractElectrocatalytic hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene in aqueous electrolytes under ambient conditions faces efficiency and selectivity limitation due to the competitive formation of 1,3‐butadiene and hydrogen. In this study, the development of a copper nanoparticle/FeNC composite catalyst is reported through a simple mechanical grinding approach that demonstrates remarkable performance, achieving a highest ethylene Faradaic efficiency of 97.7% at 180 mA cm−2 and selectivity of 92.6% at 200 mA cm−2. Experimental investigations reveal that Cu atoms serve as the active sites, and the integration of FeNC improves the specific surface area through its 2D nanosheet morphology. Further analysis utilizing in situ Raman measurements coupled with theoretical calculations confirms that FeNC accelerates water dissociation to provide abundant protons and improving their transfer, thereby suppressing 1,3‐butadiene formation and elevating acetylene selectivity. Notably, the integration of FeNC also transforms the desorption of *C2H4 into an exothermic process, further facilitating ethylene production. Overall, this study introduces a simple and innovative preparation approach of composite catalysts for selective ethylene synthesis, expanding the application scope of Cu‐based FeNC materials in various electrocatalytic hydrogenation reactions.

Asymmetric Coupled Binuclear-Site Catalysts for Low-Temperature Selective Acetylene Semi-Hydrogenation.

Heterogeneous metal catalysts with bifunctional active sites are widely used in chemical industries. Although their improvement process is typically based on trial-and-error, it is hindered by the lack of model catalysts. Herein, we report an effective vacancy-pair capturing strategy to fabricate 12 heterogeneous binuclear-site catalysts (HBSCs) comprising combinations of transition metals on titania. During the synthesis of these HBSCs, proton-passivation treatment and step-by-step electrostatic anchorage enabled the suppression of single-atom formation and the successive capture of two target metal cations on the titanium-oxygen vacancy-pair site. Additionally, during acetylene hydrogenation at 20 °C, the HBSCs (e.g., Pt1Pd1-TiO2) consistently generated more than two times the ethylene produced by their single-atom counterparts (e.g., Pd1-TiO2). Furthermore, the Pt1Pd1 binuclear sites in Pt1Pd1-TiO2 were demonstrated to catalyze C2H2 hydrogenation via a bifunctional active-site mechanism: initially C2H2 chemisorb on the Pt1 site, then H2 dissociates and migrates from Pd1 to Pt1, and finally hydrogenation occurs at the Pt1-Pd1 interface.

Boosting alkyne semi-hydrogenation selectivity via metal-organic interface modulated self-supporting palladium-based catalysts

The semi-hydrogenation of alkynes is crucial in the chemical industry, yet developing catalysts with both high activity and selectivity remains challenging. In this work, we introduced a self-supported method to fabricate a palladium-based nanocatalyst by in-situ reduction of Pd(II) on copper-based coordination polymers (Cu(I)-PNS) without external reducing agents. The resulting Pd/Cu(I)-PNS catalyst demonstrated exceptional efficiency and 94.8 % selectivity for styrene in the semi-hydrogenation of phenylacetylene, with no over-hydrogenation. Our findings highlight that the metal–organic interface enhances the catalyst’s selectivity by weakening styrene adsorption due to electronic modification. Additionally, the catalyst exhibited superior stability and activity, showing potential for various alkynes. This approach offers a direct and efficient strategy for creating highly selective palladium-based nanocatalysts for industrial applications.

Photocatalytic Semi-Hydrogenation of Acetylene to Polymer-Grade Ethylene with Molecular and Metal-Organic Framework Cobaloximes.

The semi-hydrogenation of acetylene in ethylene-rich gas streams is a high-priority industrial chemical reaction for producing polymer-grade ethylene. Traditional thermocatalytic routes for acetylene reduction to ethylene, despite progress, still require high temperatures and high H2 consumption, possess relatively low selectivity, and use a noble metal catalyst. Light-powered strategies are starting to emerge, given that they have the potential to use directly the abundant and sustainable solar irradiation, but are ineffective. Here an efficient, >99.9% selective, visible-light powered, catalytic conversion of acetylene to ethylene is reported. The catalyst is a homogeneous molecular cobaloxime that operates in tandem with a photosensitizer at room temperature and bypasses the use of non-environmentally friendly and flammable H2 gas feed. The reaction proceeds through a cobalt-hydride intermediate with ≈100% conversion of acetylene under competitive (ethylene co-feed) conditions after only 50 min, and with no evolution of H2 or over-hydrogenation to ethane. The cobaloxime is further incorporated as a linker in a metal-organic framework; the result is a heterogeneous catalyst for the conversion of acetylene under competitive (ethylene co-feed) conditions that can be recycled up to six times and remains catalytically active for 48 h, before significant loss of performance is observed.

Embedding Single Pd Atoms on NiGa Intermetallic Surfaces for Efficient and Selective Alkyne Hydrogenation.

Catalytic removal of alkynes is essential in industry for producing polymer-grade alkenes from steam cracking processes. Non-noble Ni-based catalysts hold promise as effective alternatives to industrial Pd-based catalysts but suffer from low activity. Here we report embedding of single-atom Pd onto the NiGa intermetallic surface with replacing Ga atoms via a well-defined synthesis strategy to design Pd1-NiGa catalyst for alkyne semi-hydrogenation. The fabricated Pd1Ni2Ga1 ensemble sites deliver remarkably higher specific mass activity under superb alkene selectivity of >96 % than the state-of-the-art catalysts under industry-relevant conditions. Integrated experimental and computational studies reveal that the single-atom Pd synergizes with the neighbouring Ni sites to facilitate the σ-adsorption of alkyne and dissociation of hydrogen while suppress the alkene adsorption. Such synergistic effects confer the single-atom Pd on the NiGa intermetallic with a Midas touch for alkyne semi-hydrogenation, providing an effective strategy for stimulating low active Ni-based catalysts for other selective hydrogenations in industry.

Incorporation of Pd Single-Atom Sites in Perovskite with an Excellent Selectivity toward Photocatalytic Semihydrogenation of Alkynes.

Semihydrogenation is a crucial industrial process. Noble metals such as Pd have been extensively studied in semihydrogenation reactions, owing to their unique catalytic activity toward hydrogen activation. However, the overhydrogenation of alkenes to alkanes often happens due to the rather strong adsorption of alkenes on Pd active phases. Herein, we demonstrate that the incorporation of Pd active phases as single-atom sites in perovskite lattices such as SrTiO3 can greatly alternate the electronic structure and coordination environment of Pd active phases to facilitate the desorption of alkenes rather than further hydrogenation. Furthermore, the incorporated Pd sites can be well stabilized without sintering by a strong host-guest interaction with SrTiO3 during the activation of H species in hydrogenation reactions. As a result, the Pd incorporated SrTiO3 (Pd-SrTiO3) exhibits an excellent time-independent selectivity (>99.9 %) and robust durability for the photocatalytic semihydrogenation of phenylacetylene to styrene. This strategy based on incorporation of active phases in perovskite lattices will have broad implications in the development of high-performance photocatalysts for selective hydrogenation reactions.

Illuminating tandem reactions characterized by temporal separation of catalytic activities via DFT calculations: A case study of Ni-catalyzed alkyne semi-hydrogenation

The concept of “temporal separation of catalytic activities” outlines a scenario where multiple transformations within a catalytic tandem reaction proceed sequentially over time without mutual interference. After presenting several examples of such reactions, we specifically focus on an example of the Ni-catalyzed alkyne semi-hydrogenation as a significant case study. By performing density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we illuminate the unique dynamic character of the reaction that the intermediate remains dormant until the reactant exhausted. The insights gained from the present calculations have led us to propose a comprehensive energy landscape model for the catalytic tandem reactions with temporal separation of catalytic activities, which offers a logical explanation for the temporal dormancy of the intermediate. This class of reactions is expected to be highly valuable as it presents the opportunity to fine-tune individual reaction steps, thereby introducing fresh concepts for precise control of reactions in one-pot chemistry.

Ligand engineering regulates the electronic structure of Ni-N-C sites to promote electrocatalytic acetylene semi-hydrogenation

Compared with traditional thermal catalytic hydrogenation technology, electrocatalytic acetylene semi-hydrogenation (EASH) is a green and environmentally friendly method. EASH utilizes renewable electricity under normal temperature and pressure conditions, and uses water as a hydrogen source to electrocatalytically semi-hydrogenate acetylene to ethylene. Ni-based single-atom catalysts (SACs) have shown good application prospects in EASH, but there is still much room for optimization. The axial coordination regulation of the active center is a potential means to improve its activity. In this work, the activity and selectivity of NiN4 SACs with 14 axial ligands (X) for EASH were systematically studied via density functional theory (DFT). First, the binding energy and ab initio molecular dynamics simulation results show that all the NiN4-X can exist stably. Second, the Gibbs free energy diagram shows that the activation and adsorption of C2H2 is the rate-determining step of the reaction. The introduction of the –ONO ligand enhances the activation and adsorption of C2H2 by NiN4, which is beneficial to the occurrence of EASH and inhibits the side reactions of hydrogen evolution. The two parameters ΔG∗CHCH and ΔG∗CH2CH3 can be used as characteristic descriptors to predict the activity and selectivity of EASH. Finally, the catalytic activity mechanism was explained from the perspective of electrons and orbitals, and it was found that the dz2 orbital played a leading role in the axial ligand regulation of C2H2 catalytic activity. This work provides a new method for the development of efficient EASH catalysts.

Heteroatoms‐Stabilized Single Palladium Atoms on Amorphous Zeolites: Breaking the Tradeoff between Catalytic Activity and Selectivity for Alkyne Semihydrogenation

AbstractAs a fundamental industrial catalytic process, the semihydrogenation of alkynes presents a challenge in striking a balance between activity and selectivity due to the issue of over‐hydrogenation. Herein, we develop an efficient catalytic system based on single‐atom Pd catalysts supported on boron‐containing amorphous zeolites (Pd/AZ−B), achieving the tradeoff breaking between the activity and selectivity for the selective hydrogenation of alkynes. Advanced characterizations and theoretical density functional theory calculations confirm that the incorporated B atoms in the Pd/AZ−B can not only alter the geometric and electronic properties of Pd atoms by controlling the electron migration from Pd but also mitigate the interaction between alkene and the catalyst supports. This boosts the exceptional catalytic efficacy in the semihydrogenation of phenylacetylene to styrene under mild conditions (298 K, 2 bar H2), achieving a recorded turnover frequency (TOF) value of 24198 h−1 and demonstrating 95 % selectivity to styrene at full conversion of phenylacetylene. By comparison, the heteroatom‐free amorphous zeolite‐anchored Pd nanoparticles and the commercial Lindlar catalyst have styrene selectivities of 73 % and 15 %, respectively, under identical reaction conditions. This work establishes a solid foundation for developing highly active and selective hydrogenation catalysts by controllably optimizing their electronic and steric properties.

Heteroatoms-Stabilized Single Palladium Atoms on Amorphous Zeolites: Breaking the Tradeoff between Catalytic Activity and Selectivity for Alkyne Semihydrogenation.

As a fundamental industrial catalytic process, the semihydrogenation of alkynes presents a challenge in striking a balance between activity and selectivity due to the issue of over-hydrogenation. Herein, we develop an efficient catalytic system based on single-atom Pd catalysts supported on boron-containing amorphous zeolites (Pd/AZ-B), achieving the tradeoff breaking between the activity and selectivity for the selective hydrogenation of alkynes. Advanced characterizations and theoretical density functional theory calculations confirm that the incorporated B atoms in the Pd/AZ-B can not only alter the geometric and electronic properties of Pd atoms by controlling the electron migration from Pd but also mitigate the interaction between alkene and the catalyst supports. This boosts the exceptional catalytic efficacy in the semihydrogenation of phenylacetylene to styrene under mild conditions (298 K, 2 bar H2), achieving a recorded turnover frequency (TOF) value of 24198 h-1 and demonstrating 95 % selectivity to styrene at full conversion of phenylacetylene. By comparison, the heteroatom-free amorphous zeolite-anchored Pd nanoparticles and the commercial Lindlar catalyst have styrene selectivities of 73 % and 15 %, respectively, under identical reaction conditions. This work establishes a solid foundation for developing highly active and selective hydrogenation catalysts by controllably optimizing their electronic and steric properties.

Prediction of catalytic performance of metal oxide catalysts for alkyne hydrogenation reaction based on machine learning

In the field of catalyst design, machine learning is gaining significant attention, especially in situations where data is limited. Facing this challenge, we have developed a neural network model that enhances predictive accuracy through the careful selection of catalyst descriptors and feature engineering, aiming to predict the conversion rate and selectivity of the acetylene semi-hydrogenation reaction. Our model has identified promising metal oxide catalysts, such as CuO, ZnO, and V2O5, for the acetylene semi-hydrogenation reaction, and these predictions have been experimentally validated. Among them, CuO achieved an acetylene conversion of 99.6 % and an ethylene selectivity of 90 % at 50–100°C, which is unprecedented at the reaction space velocity we tested. This high activity at relatively low temperatures indicates a more promising industrial application. Looking ahead, machine learning will play a pivotal role in catalyst design, accelerating the discovery and industrial application of new materials.

Fully Exposed Nickel Clusters for Semihydrogenation of Acetylene

Fully Exposed Nickel Clusters for Semihydrogenation of Acetylene

Selective Semi-Hydrogenation of Alkynes Catalyzed by a Bimetallic Ag and Cu Single-Atom on g-C3N4

Selective Semi-Hydrogenation of Alkynes Catalyzed by a Bimetallic Ag and Cu Single-Atom on g-C3N4

Incorporation of Pd Single‐Atom Sites in Perovskite with an Excellent Selectivity toward Photocatalytic Semihydrogenation of Alkynes

AbstractSemihydrogenation is a crucial industrial process. Noble metals such as Pd have been extensively studied in semihydrogenation reactions, owing to their unique catalytic activity toward hydrogen activation. However, the overhydrogenation of alkenes to alkanes often happens due to the rather strong adsorption of alkenes on Pd active phases. Herein, we demonstrate that the incorporation of Pd active phases as single‐atom sites in perovskite lattices such as SrTiO3 can greatly alternate the electronic structure and coordination environment of Pd active phases to facilitate the desorption of alkenes rather than further hydrogenation. Furthermore, the incorporated Pd sites can be well stabilized without sintering by a strong host–guest interaction with SrTiO3 during the activation of H species in hydrogenation reactions. As a result, the Pd incorporated SrTiO3 (Pd‐SrTiO3) exhibits an excellent time‐independent selectivity (>99.9 %) and robust durability for the photocatalytic semihydrogenation of phenylacetylene to styrene. This strategy based on incorporation of active phases in perovskite lattices will have broad implications in the development of high‐performance photocatalysts for selective hydrogenation reactions.

Dynamically Precise Constructing Dual-Atom Pd2 Catalyst:A Monodisperse Catalyst With High Stability for Semi-Hydrogenation of Alkyne.

Dual-atom catalysts (DACs) originate unprecedented reactivity and maximize resource efficiency. The fundamental difficulty lies in the high complexity and instability of DACs, making the rational design and targeted performance optimization a grand challenge. Here, an atomically dispersed Pd2 DAC with an in situ generated Pd─Pd bond is constructed by a dynamic strategy, which achieves high activity and selectivity for semi-hydrogenation of alkynes and functional internal acetylene, twice higher than commercial Lindlar catalyst. Density functional theory calculations and systematic experiments confirms the ultrahigh properties of Pd2 DAC originates from the synergistic effect of the dynamically generated Pd─Pd bonds. This discovery highlights the potential for dynamic strategies and opens unprecedented possibilities for the preparation of robust DACs on an industrial scale.

Solvent-controlled diastereoselectivity of alkyne semihydrogenation

Solvent-controlled diastereoselectivity of alkyne semihydrogenation

Acetylene Semihydrogenation over Pd-Bi Intermetallic Compounds: A DFT Combined with Microkinetic Modeling Study.

Acetylene semihydrogenation is an important process both theoretically and experimentally. Pure Pd catalysts usually suffer from limited selectivity for ethylene products and poor stability. Pd-Bi bimetallic compounds are synthesized and show not only excellent catalytic performance but also remarkable long-term stability. However, the detailed mechanism is still unclear. In this paper, the acetylene semihydrogenation mechanism on Pd(100), Pd3Bi1(100), and Pd1Bi1(100) is studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculation and microkinetic modeling. Adding Bi causes the surface d-band center (εd) to move to a lower energy, and the adsorption strength of the intermediate becomes weaker. Besides, ethylidyne (CCH3) formation becomes more difficult on the Pd-Bi alloy due to the lack of continuous surface Pd atoms. As a spectator, CCH3 deactivates the Pd and Pd-Bi alloys by a steric effect. However, the selectivity for ethylene on the Pd-Bi alloy is still high because of the weakly bonded ethylene. We found the relationship between εd and the catalysts' activity and selectivity. This study may supply some clues for the design of selective hydrogenation catalysts.

Encapsulation of Pd Single-Atom Sites in Zeolite for Highly Efficient Semihydrogenation of Alkynes.

Palladium (Pd)-based single-atom catalysts (SACs) have shown outstanding selectivity for semihydrogenation of alkynes, but most Pd single sites coordinated with highly electronegative atoms (such as N, O, and S) of supports will result in a decrease in the electron density of Pd sites, thereby weakening the adsorption of reactants and reducing catalytic performance. Constructing a rich outer-shell electron environment of Pd single-atom sites by changing the coordination structure offers a novel opportunity to enhance the catalytic efficiency with excellent alkene selectivity. Therefore, in this work, we first propose the in situ preparation of isolated Pd sites encapsulated within Al/Si-rich ZSM-5 structure using the one-pot seed-assisted growth method. Pd1@ZSM-5 features Pd-O-Al/Si bonds, which can boost the domination of d-electron near the Fermi level, thereby promoting the adsorption of substrates on Pd sites and reducing the energy barrier for the semihydrogenation of alkynes. In semihydrogenation of phenylacetylene, Pd1@ZSM-5 catalyst performs the highest turnover frequency (TOF) value of 33582 molC═C/molPd/h with 96% selectivity of styrene among the reported heterogeneous catalysts and nearly 17-fold higher than that of the commercial Lindlar catalyst (1992 molC═C/molPd/h). This remarkable catalytic performance can be retained even after 6 cycles of usage. Particularly, the zeolitic confinement structure of Pd1@ZSM-5 enables precise shape-selective catalysis for alkyne reactants with a size less than 4.3 Å.