Hydrogenation of n-octanoic acid over the MoPt alloy of Mo-Pt/SiO2 catalyst under solvent-free conditions

SiO₂-Supported bimetallic Mo and Pt worked as an effective heterogeneous catalyst for hydrogenation of n-octanoic acid at a low temperature of 373 K in the absence of solvent, providing 78% yield of hydrogenated products (62% yield of 1-octanol and 32% yield of octyl octanoate). Based on the catalyst characterization, MoPt alloy (Mo/Pt = 1) was formed by high-temperature reduction and was proposed to be the active site for the reaction.

Reduction of Carboxylic Acids to Alcohols via Manganese(I) Catalyzed Hydrosilylation

The reduction of carboxylic acids to the respective alcohols, in mild conditions, was achieved using [MnBr(CO)₅] as the catalyst and bench stable PhSiH₃ as the reducing agent. It was shown that the reaction with the earth-abundant metal catalyst could be performed either with a catalyst loading as low as 0.5 mol %, rare with the use of [MnBr(CO)₅], or on a gram scale employing only 1.5 equiv of PhSiH₃, the lowest amount of silane reported to date for this transformation. Kinetic data and control experiments have provided initial insight into the mechanism of the catalytic process, suggesting that it proceeds via the formation of silyl ester intermediates and ligand dissociation to generate a coordinatively unsaturated Mn(I) complex as the active species.

Reaction of H2 with mitochondria-relevant metabolites using a multifunctional molecular catalyst

The Krebs cycle is the fuel/energy source for cellular activity and therefore of paramount importance for oxygen-based life. The cycle occurs in the mitochondrial matrix, where it produces and transfers electrons to generate energy-rich NADH and FADH₂, as well as C₄-, C₅-, and C₆-polycarboxylic acids as energy-poor metabolites. These metabolites are biorenewable resources that represent potential sustainable carbon feedstocks, provided that carbon-hydrogen bonds are restored to these molecules. In the present study, these polycarboxylic acids and other mitochondria-relevant metabolites underwent dehydration (alcohol-to-olefin and/or dehydrative cyclization) and reduction (hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis) to diols or triols upon reaction with H₂, catalyzed by sterically confined iridium-bipyridyl complexes. The investigation of these single-metal site catalysts provides valuable molecular insights into the development of molecular technologies for the reduction and dehydration of highly functionalized carbon resources.

Green hydroboration of carboxylic acids and mechanism investigation

A catalyst-free and solvent-free method for the hydroboration of a variety of carboxylic acids with pinacolborane was developed. The hydroboration of various aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acids as well as dicarboxylic acids with HBpin could be completed within 6 h at room temperature or within 1 h at 60 °C to give the products in quantitative yields under neat conditions without the need for any solvent or metal catalyst. The possible reaction mechanism was investigated in detail based on the corresponding DFT calculations and the stoichiometric reaction of acetic acid with different equivalents of HBpin (at room temperature and 0 °C) and it revealed the stepwise nature of the protocol.

Integrated continuous flow/batch protocol for the photoreduction of ortho-methyl phenyl ketones using water as the hydrogen source

The direct hydrogenation of ketones (RRCO) with water to secondary alcohols under catalyst-free, minimal risk conditions, through the light-driven transfer hydrogenation platform.

Mechanistic study of the selective hydrogenation of carboxylic acid derivatives over supported rhenium catalysts

The structure and performance of TiO₂-supported Re (Re/TiO₂) catalysts for selective hydrogenation of carboxylic acid derivatives have been investigated.