Electron Proton Transfer Research Articles

Donor-Dependent Promotion of Interfacial Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer in Aqueous Electrocatalysis

Efficient interfacial electrocatalysis requires rapid concerted proton–electron transfer (CPET) at the electrode surface, a process for which there is little mechanistic understanding. In aqueous media, multiple proton donors coexist, adding to the mechanistic complexity. Herein, we examine the rate of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on Au, a proxy for CPET to Au, as a function of the concentration of exogenous phosphate and borate proton donors. We find that the reaction order in phosphate is 0.6, whereas the reaction order in borate is close to 0, indicating that phosphate, unlike borate, can outcompete water as a proton donor for interfacial CPET. Promotion in phosphate is substantial; the rate of the HER on Au in saturated potassium phosphate at pH 6.8 is identical to the rate of the HER on Au at pH 1. Additionally, we demonstrate that buffer-promoted CPET is a phenomenon that extends beyond Au to an Earth-abundant catalyst, NiSx. Kinetic data indicate that interfacial CPET cannot be viewed as a...

Rational Design of Proton-Electron-Transfer System Based on Nickel Dithiolene Complexes with Pyrazine Skeletons.

To understand the effect of chemical modification on the stability and proton-electron coupling in neutral radical molecules with a proton-electron-transfer (PET) state, we investigate a nickel dithiolene complex with cyano-substituted pyrazine skeletons using experimental and theoretical methods. A Pourbaix diagram constructed from absorption spectroscopic and cyclic voltammetric measurements strongly suggests that the PET state of the complex is significantly more stable compared with that of the nonsubstituted complex. Theoretical calculations predicted that the introduction of electron-withdrawing groups leads to stabilization of the PET state mainly because of a greater delocalized electron distribution in the molecule. Crystallographic studies, with the support of theoretical calculations, revealed that the degree of coupling between protons and electrons varies depending on the Hammett σ value of the substituents; the electronic state of the nonsubstituted complex appears to be most sensitive to the protonated state mainly owing to the spatially confined π-electron system.

Kinetic Significance of Proton–Electron Transfer during Condensed Phase Reduction of Carbonyls on Transition Metal Clusters

Kinetic measurements, competitive hydrogenation, and H–D kinetic isotopic studies confirm the prevalence of proton–electron transfer events during the catalytic reduction of aliphatic carbonyls (C3–C6) at protic solvent and transition-metal (Ru, Pt, and Pd) interfaces. Polar protic solvents assist with the initial, rapid H-adatom ionization, which forms a proton and an electron pair. The proton shuffles through the solvent matrix and attacks the carbonyl oxygen in a quasi-equilibrated step, resulting in the formation of a charged hydroxy intermediate as the most abundant reactive intermediate. Subsequently, this intermediate undergoes a kinetically relevant H-adatom addition on the carbon atom that forms the charged alcohol, which then recombines with the electron and desorbs as the alcohol product. As a direct consequence of the initial, quasi-equilibrated proton transfer, the first-order rate coefficient increases exponentially as the gas-phase proton affinity of the carbonyls increases or as the invers...

Acidic permanganate oxidation of sulfamethoxazole by stepwise electron-proton transfer

Permanganate is a versatile chemical oxidant, and has undergone a dramatic evolution toward deep insight into its reaction mechanism. However, the hydrogen abstraction of the NH bond by permanganate remains unclear. We studied the permanganate oxidation of the emerging micropollutant sulfamethoxazole in acidic aqueous solution. The reaction followed autocatalytic kinetics and demonstrated first-order with respect to each reactant. The presence of HMnO4 accelerated the reaction rate, which was four orders of magnitude higher than that of MnO4−. Based on the identified products, the rate-limiting step was determined to be simple NH bond oxidation by metal-oxo species permanganate. The mechanism was then studied computationally by density functional theory (DFT) using ammonia as the simplest model. Results showed that the NH bond oxidation by MnO4− (32.86 kcal/mol) was a concerted mechanism similar to that of CH bond oxidation, whereas HMnO4 oxidation of the NH bond (10.44 kcal/mol) was a stepwise electron-proton transfer. This reminds us that coordination of Brønsted acid could not only produce the stronger electrophile but also change the reaction mode by avoiding the bond cleavage in electron transfer process.

Electrochemical Hydrogenation with Gaseous Ammonia.

As a carbon-free and sustainable fuel, ammonia serves as high-energy-density hydrogen-storage material. It is important to develop new reactions able to utilize ammonia as a hydrogen source directly. Herein, we report an electrochemical hydrogenation of alkenes, alkynes, and ketones using ammonia as the hydrogen source and carbon electrodes. A variety of heterocycles and functional groups, including for example sulfide, benzyl, benzyl carbamate, and allyl carbamate were well tolerated. Fast stepwise electron transfer and proton transfer processes were proposed to account for the transformation.

Electrochemical Hydrogenation with Gaseous Ammonia

AbstractAs a carbon‐free and sustainable fuel, ammonia serves as high‐energy‐density hydrogen‐storage material. It is important to develop new reactions able to utilize ammonia as a hydrogen source directly. Herein, we report an electrochemical hydrogenation of alkenes, alkynes, and ketones using ammonia as the hydrogen source and carbon electrodes. A variety of heterocycles and functional groups, including for example sulfide, benzyl, benzyl carbamate, and allyl carbamate were well tolerated. Fast stepwise electron transfer and proton transfer processes were proposed to account for the transformation.

Masstodon: A Tool for Assigning Peaks and Modeling Electron Transfer Reactions in Top-Down Mass Spectrometry.

Top-down mass spectrometry methods are becoming continuously more popular in the effort to describe the proteome. They rely on the fragmentation of intact protein ions inside the mass spectrometer. Among the existing fragmentation methods, electron transfer dissociation is known for its precision and wide coverage of different cleavage sites. However, several side reactions can occur under electron transfer dissociation (ETD) conditions, including nondissociative electron transfer and proton transfer reaction. Evaluating their extent can provide more insight into reaction kinetics as well as instrument operation. Furthermore, preferential formation of certain reaction products can reveal important structural information. To the best of our knowledge, there are currently no tools capable of tracing and analyzing the products of these reactions in a systematic way. In this Article, we present in detail masstodon: a computer program for assigning peaks and interpreting mass spectra. Besides being a general purpose tool, masstodon also offers the possibility to trace the products of reactions occurring under ETD conditions and provides insights into the parameters driving them. It is available free of charge under the GNU AGPL V3 public license.

Hydrogen bonding between hydroxylic donors and MLCT-excited Ru(bpy)2(bpz)2+ complex: implications for photoinduced electron-proton transfer.

The equilibrium constants of the hydrogen bonding (HB) between hydroxylic donors, ROH, and an MLCT-excited Ru(bpy)2(bpz)2+ complex, 1(T), correlated with ROH empirical HB acidities, which could be used for evaluating the unimolecular rate constants of concerted electron-proton transfer within the H-bonded phenol-1(T) exciplexes.

A photochemical and theoretical study of the triplet reactivity of furano- and pyrano-1,4-naphthoquionones towards tyrosine and tryptophan derivatives.

The photochemical reactivity of the triplet state of pyrano- and furano-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives (1 and 2) has been examined employing nanosecond laser flash photolysis. The quinone triplets were efficiently quenched by l-tryptophan methyl ester hydrochloride, l-tyrosine methyl ester hydrochloride, N-acetyl-l-tryptophan methyl ester and N-acetyl-l-tyrosine methyl ester, substituted phenols and indole (kq ∼109 L mol−1 s−1). For all these quenchers new transients were formed in the quenching process. These were assigned to the corresponding radical pairs that resulted from a coupled electron/proton transfer from the phenols, indole, amino acids, or their esters, to the excited state of the quinone. The proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism is supported by experimental rate constants, isotopic effects and theoretical calculations. The calculations revealed differences between the hydrogen abstraction reactions of phenol and indole substrates. For the latter, the calculations indicate that electron transfer and proton transfer occur as discrete steps.

Accelerated proton transmission in metal–organic frameworks for the efficient reduction of CO2in aqueous solutions

The accelerated proton transmission in the MOFs modulates the catalysis pathwayviaconcerted proton–electron transfer (CPET), lowering the energy barrier and achieving approximately 100% faradaic efficiency for turning CO2to CO in water.

Reactive mode composition factor analysis of transition states: the case of coupled electron-proton transfers.

A simple method for the evaluation of the kinetic energy distribution within the reactive mode of a transition state (TS), denoted as the Reactive Mode Composition Factor (RMCF), is presented. It allows one to directly map the barrier properties onto the atomic-motion components of the reaction coordinate at the TS, which has potential to shed light onto some mechanistic features of a chemical process. To demonstrate the applicability of RMCF to reactivity, we link the kinetic energy distribution within a reactive mode with the asynchronicity (η) in C-H bond activation, as they both evolve in a series of coupled proton-electron transfer (CPET) reactions between FeIVO oxidants and 1,4-cyclohexadiene. RMCF shows how the earliness or lateness of a process manifests as a redistribution of kinetic energy in the reactive mode as a function of the free energy of reaction (ΔG0) and η. Finally, the title analysis can be applied to predict H-atom tunneling contributions and kinetic isotope effects in a set of reactions, yielding a transparent rationalization based on the kinetic energy distributions in the reactive mode.

What Are the Radical Intermediates in Oxidative N-Heterocyclic Carbene Organocatalysis?

The oxidation of the Breslow intermediate resulting from the addition of an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) to benzaldehyde triggers a fast deprotonation, followed by a second electron transfer, directly affording the corresponding acylium at E > -0.8 V (versus Fc/Fc+). Similarly, the oxidation of the cinnamaldehyde analogue occurs at an even higher potential and is not a reversible electrochemical process. As a whole, and contrary to previous beliefs, it is demonstrated that Breslow intermediates, which are the key intermediates in NHC-catalyzed transformations of aldehydes, cannot undergo a single electron transfer (SET) with mild oxidants ( E < -1.0 V). Moreover, the corresponding enol radical cations are ruled out as relevant intermediates. It is proposed that oxidative NHC-catalyzed radical transformations of enals proceed either through SET from the corresponding electron-rich enolate or through coupled electron-proton transfer from the enol, in any case generating neutral capto-dative radicals. Relevant electrochemical surrogates of these paramagnetic species have been isolated.

Catalytic Mechanism of Nogalamycin Monoxygenase: How Does Nature Synthesize Antibiotics without a Metal Cofactor?

Nogalamycin monoxygenase (NMO) is a member of a family of enzymes that catalyze a key step in the biosynthesis of tetracycline antibiotics used to treat, for example, breast cancer in humans, using molecular oxygen for substrate oxidation but without an apparent cofactor. As most monoxygenases and dioxygenases contain a transition metal center (Fe/Cu) or flavin, this begs the question how NMO catalyzes this unusual oxygen atom transfer reaction from molecular oxygen to substrate directly. We performed a detailed computational study on the mechanism and catalytic cycle of NMO using density functional theory and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics on the full protein. We considered the substrate in various protonation states and its reaction with oxidant O2 as well as O2-• through either electron transfer, proton transfer, or hydrogen atom transfer. The lowest energy pathway for the models presented here is a reaction of the neutral substrate with a superoxo anion radical (O2-•). In the absence of available free superoxo anions, however, the alternative neutral pathway between 3O2 and the substrate may be accessible at room temperature, although the barrier is higher in energy by about 20 kcal mol-1 and therefore the reaction will be much slower. In contrast to previous experimental findings for both the enzymatic and uncatalyzed reactions, the mechanisms with the substrate in its deprotonated state were found to be high in energy, and therefore mechanistic suggestions are proposed. A thermodynamic analysis shows that the substrate has a very weak C-H bond that can be activated by a weak oxidant, and hence, a metal cofactor may not be needed for oxidizing this particular substrate. Finally, site-directed mutations were studied where active-site Asn residues were replaced, and the function of these residues in guiding oxygen to the C12-position of the substrate was highlighted. Overall, NMO shows a versatile reactivity pattern, where the substrate can be activated by several low-energy pathways with oxidants and substrates in various oxidation and protonation states.

Switching between Stepwise and Concerted Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Pathways in Tungsten Hydride Activation.

Catalytic processes to generate (or oxidize) fuels such as hydrogen are underpinned by multiple proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) steps that are associated with the formation or activation of metal-hydride bonds. Fully understanding the detailed PCET mechanisms of metal hydride transformations holds promise for the rational design of energy-efficient catalysis. Here we investigate the detailed PCET mechanisms for the activation of the transition metal hydride complex CpW(CO)2(PMe3)H (Cp = cyclopentadienyl) using stopped-flow rapid mixing coupled with time-resolved optical spectroscopy. We reveal that all three limiting PCET pathways can be accessed by changing the free energy for elementary proton, electron, and proton-electron transfers through the choice of base and oxidant, with the concerted pathway occurring exclusively as a secondary parallel route. Through detailed kinetics analysis, we define free energy relationships for the kinetics of elementary reaction steps, which provide insight into the factors influencing reaction mechanism. Rate constants for proton transfer processes in the limiting stepwise pathways reveal a large reorganization energy associated with protonation/deprotonation of the metal center (λ = 1.59 eV) and suggest that sluggish proton transfer kinetics hinder access to a concerted route. Rate constants for concerted PCET indicate that the concerted routes are asynchronous. Additionally, through quantification of the relative contributions of parallel stepwise and concerted mechanisms toward net product formation, the influence of various reaction parameters on reactivity are identified. This work underscores the importance of understanding the PCET mechanism for controlling metal hydride reactivity, which could lead to superior catalyst design for fuel production and oxidation.

Direct synthesis of H2O2 on PdZn nanoparticles: The impact of electronic modifications and heterogeneity of active sites

The direct synthesis of H2O2 (H2 + O2 → H2O2) would reduce the cost of H2O2, but few catalytic materials demonstrably provide the necessary combination of high H2O2 selectivity and stability over long periods of continuous reaction. Here, we show that silica supported PdZnx nanoparticles (where x indicates the bulk composition, 0 ≤ x ≤ 30) are stable and selective catalysts for the continuous production of H2O2 in the absence of liquid-phase promoters. Increasing the ratio of Zn to Pd precursors in the synthesis lead to distributions of nanoparticles that contain greater fractions of β1-Pd1Zn1 and lower fractions of face-centered cubic (fcc) Pd nanoparticles. A combination of the measured functional dependence of steady-state H2O2 and H2O formation rates on H2 and O2 pressures and the need for protic solvents indicate that H2O2 forms on all members of the PdZnx series by proton-electron transfer steps to dioxygen and hydroperoxy surface intermediates that saturate active sites during catalysis. Primary H2O2 selectivities increase systematically with the Zn to Pd ratio and range from 26% on fcc Pd nanoparticles to 69% on PdZn30 catalysts, which contains β1-Pd1Zn1 nanoparticles and lacks detectable amounts of fcc Pd. The differences in H2O2 selectivities among the PdZnx catalysts reflect changes in activation enthalpies (ΔH‡) for H2O2 (from -3 to 14 kJ mol−1) and H2O (11 to 44 kJ mol−1) formation. These results demonstrate that pathways for H2O2 formation are less sensitive than H2O formation to electronic differences between active sites on fcc Pd and intermetallic β1-Pd1Zn1 nanoparticles, whose densities of states differ significantly near the Fermi level. Comparisons of the ratios of H2O2 and H2O formation rates to ΔH‡ values among Pd and PdZnx catalysts show that the increases in H2O2 selectivities are less than predicted from the differences in ΔH‡ values alone. This analysis shows that the current synthesis method introduces at least two distinguishable catalytically active sites, and a portion of the sites formed predominantly cleave O-O bonds in primary and secondary reaction pathways that form H2O and lead to lower H2O2 selectivities than would be achieved in their absence. These findings demonstrate that differences in electronic structure of active sites cause β-Pd1Zn1 nanoparticles to give greater H2O2 selectivities than Pd catalysts and suggest that a synthesis procedure that uniformly creates β-Pd1Zn1 and alloys all Pd on the support may lead to increasingly selective conversion of O2 and H2 to H2O2.

Structure- and Electrolyte-Sensitivity in CO2 Electroreduction

The utilization of fossil fuels (i.e., coal, petroleum, and natural gas) as the main energy source gives rise to serious environmental issues, including global warming caused by the continuously increasing level of atmospheric CO2. To deal with this challenge, fossil fuels are being partially replaced by renewable energy such as solar and wind. However, such energy sources are usually intermittent and currently constitute a very low portion of the overall energy consumption. Recently, the electrochemical conversion of CO2 to chemicals and fuels with high energy density driven by electricity derived from renewable energy has been recognized as a promising strategy toward sustainable energy. The activation and reduction of CO2, which is a thermodynamically stable and kinetically inert molecule, is extremely challenging. Although the participation of protons in the CO2 electroreduction reaction (CO2RR) helps lower the energy barrier, high overpotentials are still needed to efficiently drive the process. On the other hand, the concurrent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under CO2RR conditions leads to lower selectivity toward CO2RR products. Electrocatalysts that are highly active and selective for multicarbon products are urgently needed to improve the energy efficiency of CO2RR. The reduction of CO2 involves multiple proton-electron transfers and has many complex intermediates. Recent reports have shown that the relative stability of the intermediates on the surface of catalysts determines final reaction pathways as well as the product selectivity. Furthermore, this reaction displays a strong structure-sensitivity. The atomic arrangement, electronic structure, chemical composition, and oxidation state of the catalysts significantly influence catalyst performance. Fundamental understanding of the dependence of the reaction mechanisms on the catalyst structure would guide the rational design of new nanostructured CO2RR catalysts. As a reaction proceeding in a complex environment containing gas/liquid/solid interfaces, CO2RR is also intensively affected by the electrolyte. The electrolyte composition in the near surface region of the electrode where the reaction takes place plays a vital role in the reactivity. However, the former might also be indirectly determined by the bulk electrolyte composition via diffusion. Adding to the complexity, the structure, chemical state and surface composition of the catalysts under reaction conditions usually undergo dynamic changes, especially when adsorbed ions are considered. Therefore, in addition to tuning the structure of the electrocatalysts, being able to also modify the electrolyte provides an alternative method to tune the activity and selectivity of CO2RR. In situ and operando characterization methods must be employed to gain in depth understanding on the structure- and electrolyte-sensitivity of real CO2RR catalysts under working conditions. This Account provides examples of recent advances in the development of nanostructured catalysts and mechanistic understanding of CO2RR. It discusses how the structure of a catalyst (crystal orientation, oxidation state, atomic arrangement, defects, size, surface composition, segregation, etc.) influences the activity and selectivity, and how the electrolyte also plays a determining role in the reaction activity and selectivity. Finally, the importance of in situ and operando characterization methods to understand the structure- and electrolyte-sensitivity of the CO2RR is discussed.

A Continuum of Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reactivity.

Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) covers a wide range of reactions involving the transfer(s) of electrons and protons. The best-known PCET reaction, hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), has been studied in detail for more than a century. HAT is generally described as the concerted transfer of a hydrogen atom (H• ≡ H+ + e-) from one group to another, Y + H-X → Y-H + X, but a strict definition of HAT has been difficult to establish. Distinctions are more challenging when the transfer of "H•" involves e- and H+ that transfer to/from spatially distinct sites or even completely separate reagents (multiple-site concerted proton-electron transfer, MS-CPET). MS-CPET reactivity is increasingly proposed in biological and synthetic contexts, and some reactions typically described as HAT more resemble MS-CPET. Despite thatHAT and MS-CPET reactions "lookdifferent," we argue here that these reactions lie on a reactivity continuum, and that they are governed by many of the same key parameters. This Account walks the reader across this PCET reactivity continuum, using a series of studies to show the strong similarities of reactions that move protons and electrons in seemingly different ways. To prepare for our stroll, we describe the thermochemical and kinetic frameworks for HAT and MS-CPET. The driving force for a solution HAT reaction is most easily discussed as the difference in the bond dissociation free energies (BDFEs) of the reactants and products. BDFEs can be analyzed as sums of electron and proton transfer steps and can therefore be obtained from p Ka and E° values. Even though MS-CPET reactions do not make and break H-X bonds in the same way as HAT, the same thermochemical description can be used with the introduction of an effective BDFE (BDFEeff). The BDFEeff of a reductant/acid pair is the free energy of that pair to form H•, which can be obtained from p Ka and E° values in an analogous fashion to a standard BDFE. When the PCET thermochemistry is known, HAT and PCET rate constants can be understood and often predicted using linear free energy relationships (the Brønsted catalysis law) and Marcus theory type approaches. After this background, we walk the reader through a continuum of PCET reactivity. Our journey begins with a study of metal-mediated HAT from hydrocarbon substrates to a metal-oxo complex and travels to the MS-CPET end of the reactivity spectrum, involving the transfer of H+ and e- from the hydroxylamine TEMPOH to two completely separate molecules. These examples, and those in between, are all analyzed within the same thermodynamic and kinetic framework. A description of the first examples of MS-CPET with C-H bonds uses the same framework and highlights the importance of hydrogen bonding and preorganization. The examples and analyses show that the reactions along the PCET continuum are more similar than they are different, and that attempts to divide these reactions into subcategories can obscure much of the essential chemistry. We hope that developing the many common features of these reactions will help experts and newcomers alike to explore exciting new territoriesin PCET reactivity.

Proton-Coupled Oxidation of a Diarylamine: Amido and Aminyl Radical Complexes of Ruthenium(II).

Diarylamido, Q-N--Py (L-), complexes of ruthenium(II), trans-[(L-H+)RuII(PPh3)2Cl2] (1-H+) and trans-[(L-)RuII(PPh3)2(CO)Cl] (2), using N-(5-nitropyridin-2-yl)quinolin-8-amine (HL) as a ligand are disclosed (Q and Py refer to quinoline and 5-nitropyridine fragments). 1-H+ contains a zwitterionic amido ligand (Q-N--PyH+) that undergoes a concerted proton electron transfer (CPET) reaction in air, generating trans-[(L)Ru(PPh3)2Cl2] (1·CH2Cl2). The ground electronic state of 1 is delocalized as [(L-)RuIII ↔ (L•)RuII] (L• is an aminyl radical of type Q-N•-Py). The 1-H+/1 redox potential depends on the electrolytes, and the potentials are -1.57 and -1.40 V, respectively, in the presence of [N( n-Bu)4]PF6 and [N( n-Bu)4]Cl. The rate of 1-H+ → 1 conversion depends also on the medium and follows the order kD2O-CH2Cl2 > kH2O-CH2Cl2 > kCH2Cl2. In contrast, 2 containing the corresponding amido (L-) is stable and endures oxidation at 0.14 V, affording trans-[(L•)RuII(PPh3)2(CO)Cl] (2+). The electronic structures of the complexes were authenticated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies of HL, 1·CH2Cl2, and 2·(toluene), EPR spectroscopy, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Notably, the CQ-N (1.401(2) Å) and CPy-N (1.394(2) Å) lengths in 1·CH2Cl2 are relatively longer than the CQ-Namido (1.396(4) Å)and CPy-Namido (1.372(4) Å) lengths in 2·(toluene). Spin density obtained from DFT calculations scatters on both N and ruthenium atoms, revealing a delocalized state of 1. The notion was further confirmed by variable-temperature EPR spectra of a powder sample and CH2Cl2 solution, where the contributions of both [(L-)RuIII] and [(L•)RuII] components were detected. In contrast, 2+ is an aminyl radical complex of ruthenium(II), where the spin is dominantly localized on the ligand backbone (64%), particularly on N (27%). 2+ exhibits a strong EPR signal at g = 2.003. 1 and 2+ exhibit absorption bands at 560-630 and 830-840 nm, and the origins of these excitations were elucidated by TDDFT calculations on 1 and 2 in CH2Cl2.

Electron-proton transfer mechanism of excited-state hydrogen transfer in phenol−(NH3)n (n = 5) studied by delayed ionization detected femtosecond time-resolved NIR spectroscopy

The reaction mechanism of a hydrogen transfer reaction has a fundamental importance in wide ranges of chemistry, such as redox reactions and enzymatic reactions. The excited-state hydrogen transfer (ESHT) of phenol–(NH3)n clusters is a benchmark system to study solvation effects on the ESHT reaction mechanism. Recently, we reported that the mechanism of the ESHT reaction changes to electron–proton decoupled transfer for phenol–(NH3)5, from a concerted hydrogen atom transfer for clusters with n < 5, based on observations of picosecond time-resolved NIR/IR spectroscopy (Miyazaki et al., 2018). However, the dynamics of the initial electron-transfer process has not been addressed because the rate is faster than the time-resolution of the picosecond time-resolved measurement. In this study, femtosecond time-resolved NIR spectroscopy was applied to the phenol–(NH3)5 to elucidate the initial electron-transfer process. Time evolutions probed in the range of 6000–9000 cm−1 detected two rise components that can be ascribed to electronic absorptions of the Franck-Condon region of the excitation and the transient charge-transfer complex, respectively. A kinetic analysis determined the time-scale of the initial charge-transfer process to be τCT = 370 ± 55 fs. The fast reaction time supports (almost) a barrier-less charge transfer process predicted by a theoretical calculation that shows solvation-induced strong mixing of ππ*-πσ* states.

Importance of Proton Concentration on the Product Selectivity of the CO2 Reduction Reaction

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is seen as promising route for converting waste CO2 and excess renewable energy into valuable chemicals and synthetic fuels. During this process a variety of carbon-based products such as CO, HCOOH and hydrocarbons can be formed. The cathode material plays a crucial role on determining the product distribution during the CO2RR. For example, Cu has been found to be an interesting material on which CO2 is directly reduced to alcohols and hydrocarbons. (1) While, Ag based catalyst (2) and metal nitrogen doped materials (MNCs) are considered promising catalyst for the reduction of CO2 to CO.(3) In addition to the catalysts material, the pH and local pH are known to be key on determining the selectivity of the reaction. In the case of Cu catalysts, we have shown that the ratio between methane and ethylene prodiuction is strongly dependent on the local pH as ethylene formation is not affected by the proton concentration. As result, in conditions in which a high local pH is favored ethylene is the predominant product, while at low pH values CH4 is favored. (4) In the case of carbon base materials, however, the influence of the reaction conditions on the catalytic performance has not been addressed. Herein we looked into the role of the electrolyte on the selectivity of FeNC materials on CO2RR selectivity. (5) Unlike hydrogen or methane generation, CO production is independent on proton concentration on the NHE scale, suggesting a decoupled proton-electron transfer mechanism for CO formation. The similarity of the reaction mechanism with that of Metal-N macrocyclic complexes is an indication that the Fe centers incorporated to our carbon material indeed behave as the active centers of complex based catalysts. Furthermore, our results show that on doped carbon catalysts, such as FeNC, the selectivity towards the CO2RR can be conveniently tuned by the proton availability in both aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes.