Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of the Mechanism of the Reduction of O2 from Air to O22- by VIVO2+-N,N,N-Amidate Compounds and Their Potential Use in Fuel Cells

The two-electron reductive activation of O2 to O22- is of particular interest to the scientific community mainly due to the use of peroxides as green oxidants and in powerful fuel cells. Despite of the great importance of vanadium(IV) species to activate the two-electron reductive activation of O2, the mechanism is still unclear. Reaction of VIVO2+ species with the tridentate-planar N,N,N-carboxamide (ΗL) ligands in solution (CH3OH:H2O) under atmospheric O2, at room temperature, resulted in the quick formation of [VV(═O)(η2-O2)(κ3-L)(H2O)] and cis-[VV(═O)2(κ3-L)] compounds. Oxidation of the VIVO2+ complexes with the sterically hindered tridentate-planar N,N,N-carboxamide ligands by atmospheric O2 gave only cis-[VV(═O)2(κ3-L)] compounds. The mechanism of formation of [VV(═O)(η2-O2)(κ3-L)(H2O)] (I) and cis-[VV(═O)2(κ3-L)] (II) complexes vs time, from the interaction of [VIV(═O)(κ3-L)(Η2Ο)2]+ with atmospheric O2, was investigated with 51V, 1H NMR, UV-vis, cw-X-band EPR, and 18O2 labeling IR and resonance Raman spectroscopies revealing the formation of a stable intermediate (Id). EPR, MS, and theoretical calculations of the mechanism of the formation of I and II revealed a pathway, through a binuclear [VIV(═O)(κ3-L)(H2O)(η1,η1-O2)VIV(═O)(κ3-L)(H2O)]2+ intermediate. The results from cw-EPR, 1H NMR spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry, and the reactivity of the complexes [VIV(═O)(κ3-L)(Η2Ο)2]+ toward O2 reduction fit better to an intermediate with a binuclear nature. Dynamic experiments in combination with computational calculations were undertaken to fully elucidate the mechanism of the O2 reduction to O22- by [VIV(═O)(κ3-L)(Η2Ο)2]+. The galvanic cell {Zn|VIII,VII||Id, [VIVO(κ3-L)(H2O)2]+|O2|C(s)} was manufactured, demonstrating the important applicability of this new chemistry to Zn|H2O2 fuel cells technology generating H2O2 in situ from the atmospheric O2.

Crystal structure studies and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 4-(di-methyl-aza-nium-yl)-2-hy-droxy-anilinium dichloride monohydrate at 90 K

The crystal structure and a Hirshfeld surface analysis of the substituted anilinium salt 4-(di-methyl-aza-nium-yl)-2-hy-droxy-anilinium dichloride monohydrate, C8H14N2O+·2Cl-·H2O, at low temperature (90 K) are presented. The organic cation is essentially planar: the r.m.s. deviation of its non-hydrogen atoms (aside from the two methyl groups) is 0.0045 Å. The methyl carbons are 1.3125 (12) Å and 1.1278 (12) Å either side of the mean plane. The crystal packing involves extensive hydrogen bonding of types O-H⋯Cl, N-H⋯Cl, N-H⋯OW, and OW-HW⋯Cl (where W = water), which arrange into chains of R 2 4(12) motifs that combine to form corrugated layers parallel to (10). Atom-atom contacts for the cation primarily involve hydrogen, leading to the most abundant coverage percentages being 51.3% (H⋯H), 23.0% (H⋯Cl), 12.9% (H⋯O), and 9.7% (C⋯H).

Four electron selective O2 reduction by a tetranuclear vanadium(IV/V)/hydroquinonate catalyst: application in the operation of Zn–air batteries

A tetranuclear vanadium(IV/V) hydroquinonate electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction through proton-coupled electron transfer. The complex enhances the current and power of Zn–air batteries.