Scientists have developed a new method for splitting water
- June 29, 2023
- 0
Hydrogen is seen as the energy source of the future, at least if it is produced in an environmentally friendly way. Hydrogen can also be important for the
Hydrogen is seen as the energy source of the future, at least if it is produced in an environmentally friendly way. Hydrogen can also be important for the production of active ingredients and other important substances. To obtain hydrogen, water (H2O) can be converted to hydrogen gas (H2) using a series of chemical processes. However, because water molecules are so stable, splitting them into hydrogen and oxygen poses a major challenge for chemists. For this to be successful, the water must first be activated with the aid of a catalyst; Then it responds more easily.
A research team led by Professor Armido Studer of the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Münster (Germany) has developed a photocatalytic process in which, like many other processes, water is activated via triarylphosphines under mild reaction conditions. —through transition metal complexes.
This strategy, now published, NatureThe team says it will open new doors in a very active area of research related to radical chemistry. Radicals are generally highly reactive intermediates. The team uses a special intermediate, the phosphine-water radical cation, as active water, with hydrogen atoms coming from the H.2It can be easily divided and transferred to another substrate. The reaction is controlled by light energy.
“Our system,” says Professor Studer, “offers an ideal platform for investigating unexplored chemical processes that use the hydrogen atom as a reagent in synthesis.”
Analyzing activated water complexes with theoretical methods, Dr. “The hydrogen-oxygen bond in this intermediate is extremely weak, making it possible to transfer the hydrogen atom to various compounds,” explains Christian Mueck-Lichtenfeld.
Conducting the experimental study, Dr. Jingjing Zhang adds: “The hydrogen atoms of activated water can be transferred to alkenes and arenes in so-called hydrogenation reactions, under very mild conditions.” Hydrogenation reactions are extremely important in pharmaceutical research, the agrochemical industry, and materials science. Source
Source: Port Altele
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