Publications by authors named "Matthias Beller"

Article Synopsis
  • Increasing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and deforestation are impacting global climate change.
  • To meet the Paris climate agreement, it is essential to create low-emission technologies for large-scale carbon removal.
  • The proposed method involves electrochemically converting carbon dioxide to oxalic acid, which could efficiently utilize and store CO2 without needing large amounts of other reagents.
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Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen evolution is a highly topical subject in academic research and a promising approach for sustainable fuel production from solar energy. Due to the mismatched energy diagram of the photosensitizer (especially semiconductor-based materials where band-edge engineering is not trivial) and the redox potential of the half-reactions of water splitting, photocatalytic H generation from water splitting is usually accelerated by the addition of hole scavengers, i.e.

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This study explored the use of amino acid-based ionic liquids to facilitate the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO) into methanol through catalytic hydrogenation. Combining tetrabutylammonium L-argininate (TBA⋅Arg) with the ruthenium Ru-MACHO-BH complex allowed achieving significant yields of methanol under optimized conditions, with a turnover number (TON) up to 700. By systematically varying key reaction parameters, we demonstrated that the TBA⋅Arg ionic liquid promotes the efficient hydrogenation pathway leading to methanol formation, thus offering a sustainable approach to CO valorization.

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A concept of combining photocatalytically generated hydrogen with green enzymatic reductions is demonstrated. The developed photocatalytic formic acid (FA) dehydrogenation setup based on Pt(x)@TiO shows stable hydrogen generation activity, which is two orders of magnitude higher than reported values of state-of-the-art systems. Mechanistic studies confirm that hydrogen generation proceeds via a photocatalytic pathway, which is entirely different from purely thermal reaction mechanisms previously reported.

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The development of hydrogen technologies is at the heart of a green economy. As prerequisite for implementation of hydrogen storage, active and stable catalysts for (de)hydrogenation reactions are needed. So far, the use of precious metals associated with expensive costs dominates in this area.

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Liquid (organic) hydrogen carriers ([18H]-dibenzyltoluene, MeOH, formic acid, etc.) form a toolbox for the storage and transport of green hydrogen, which is crucial for the implementation of renewable energy technologies. Simple organic salts have been scarcely investigated for this purpose, despite many advantages such as low cost and minor toxicity, as well as easy handling.

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The development of all kinds of covalent drugs had a major impact on the improvement of the human health system. Covalent binding to target proteins is achieved by so-called electrophilic warheads, which are incorporated in the respective drug molecule. In the last decade, specifically acrylamides emerged as attractive warheads in covalent drug design.

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New phosphines with self-assembling 6-pyridinone moities were prepared, characterized, and examined in the hydroformylation of diverse olefins. Testing various known and novel ligands in the presence of [Rh(acac)(CO)] under industrially relevant conditions, the hydroformylation of 1-octene proceeds best with 6,6'-(phenylphosphanediyl)bis(pyridin-2(1)-one) (DPONP). Control experiments and modelling studies indicate dimerization of this ligand at higher temperatures (>100 °C).

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Earth abundant metal-based heterogeneous catalysts with highly active and at the same time stable isolated metal sites constitute a key factor for the advancement of sustainable and cost-effective chemical synthesis. In particular, the development of more practical, and durable iron-based materials is of central interest for organic synthesis, especially for the preparation of chemical products related to life science applications. Here, we report the preparation of Fe-single atom catalysts (Fe-SACs) entrapped in N-doped mesoporous carbon support with unprecedented potential in the preparation of different kinds of amines, which represent privileged class of organic compounds and find increasing application in daily life.

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Non-noble metal-based catalyst systems consisting of inexpensive manganese salts, picolinic acid and various heterocycles enable epoxidation of the challenging (terminal) unactivated olefins, selective C-H oxidation of unactivated alkanes, and O-H oxidation of secondary alcohols with aqueous hydrogen peroxide. In the presence of the generated optimal manganese catalyst, epoxides are generated with up to 81% yield from alkenes and ketone products with up to 51% yield from unactivated alkanes. This convenient protocol allows the formation of the desired products under ambient conditions (room temperature, 1 bar) by employing only a slight excess of hydrogen peroxide with 2,3-butadione as a sub-stoichiometric additive.

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Article Synopsis
  • Effective strategies are needed to utilize carbon dioxide for a circular carbon economy and minimize environmental impact, focusing on catalytic systems that work well in water.
  • A novel approach was developed to identify suitable enzymes for CO reduction, discovering that Bacillus subtilis phenolic acid decarboxylase (BsPAD) performs well, yielding high turnover rates and selectivity for carbon monoxide.
  • Mutations in BsPAD's active site enhanced its efficiency, confirming that the rate-limiting step involves electron transfer via multistep tunneling, and this method also worked with eight other enzymes for photocatalytic CO reduction.
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A protocol for efficient -alkylation of benzamides with alcohols in the presence of cobalt-nanocatalysts is described. Key to the success of this general methodology is the use of highly dispersed cobalt nanoparticles supported on carbon, which are obtained from the pyrolysis of cobalt(ii) acetate and -phenylenediamine as a ligand at suitable temperatures. The catalytic material shows a broad substrate scope and good tolerance to functional groups.

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A new method for the generation of benzyl radicals from terminal aromatic alkynes has been developed, which allows the direct cross coupling with acrylate derivatives. Our additive-free protocol employs air-stable diamino MoS cubane-type cluster catalysts in the presence of hydrogen. A sulfur-centered cluster catalysis mechanism for benzyl radical formation is proposed based on catalytic and stoichiometric experiments.

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Catalytic hydrogenations are important and widely applied processes for the reduction of organic compounds both in academic laboratories and in industry. To perform these reactions in sustainable and practical manner, the development and applicability of non-noble metal-based heterogeneous catalysts is crucial. Here, we report highly active and air-stable nickel nanoparticles supported on mesoporous silica (MCM-41) as a general and selective hydrogenation catalyst.

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An unprecedented regiodivergent palladium-catalyzed carbonylation of aromatic alkenes has been developed. Utilizing commercially available Pd(CH CN) Cl in the presence of 1,1'-ferrocenediyl-bis(tert-butyl(pyridin-2-yl)phosphine) ligand L8 diverse selenoesters are obtained in a straightforward manner. Key to success for the control of the regioselectivity of the carbonylation step is the concentration of the acidic co-catalyst.

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An efficient and general cascade synthesis of pyrroles from nitroarenes using an acid-tolerant homogeneous iron catalyst is presented. Initial (transfer) hydrogenation using the commercially available iron-Tetraphos catalyst is followed by acid catalysed Paal-Knorr condensation. Both formic acid and molecular hydrogen can be used as green reductants in this process.

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The sustainable production of value-added N-heterocycles from available biomass allows to reduce the reliance on fossil resources and creates possibilities for economically and ecologically improved synthesis of fine and bulk chemicals. Herein, we present a unique RuCo/HAP surface single-atom alloy (SSAA) catalyst, which enables a new type of transformation from the bio-based platform chemical furfural to give N-heterocyclic piperidine. In the presence of NH and H, the desired product is formed under mild conditions with a yield up to 93%.

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The development of practical materials for (de)hydrogenation reactions is a prerequisite for the launch of a sustainable hydrogen economy. Herein, we present the design and construction of an atomically dispersed dual-metal site Co/Cu-N-C catalyst allowing significantly improved dehydrogenation of formic acid, which is available from carbon dioxide and green hydrogen. The active catalyst centers consist of specific CoCuN moieties with double-N-bridged adjacent metal-N clusters decorated on a nitrogen-doped carbon support.

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The development of methods for selective cleavage reactions of thermodynamically stable C-C/C=C bonds in a green manner is a challenging research field which is largely unexplored. Herein, we present a heterogeneous Fe-N-C catalyst with highly dispersed iron centers that allows for the oxidative C-C/C=C bond cleavage of amines, secondary alcohols, ketones, and olefins in the presence of air (O ) and water (H O). Mechanistic studies reveal the presence of water to be essential for the performance of the Fe-N-C system, boosting the product yield from <1 % to >90 %.

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The synthesis of amides is a key technology for the preparation of fine and bulk chemicals in industry, as well as the manufacture of a plethora of daily life products. Furthermore, it constitutes a central bond-forming methodology for organic synthesis and provides the basis for the preparation of numerous biomolecules. Here, we present a robust methodology for amide synthesis compared to traditional amidation reactions: the reductive amidation of esters with nitro compounds under additives-free conditions.

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Palladium-catalysed alkoxycarbonylation of alkenes allows for atom-efficient synthesis of esters from easily available alkenes in an industrially viable manner. One of the major costs associated with this process is the consumption of the catalyst system. Hence, for economic and ecologic reasons it is desirable to minimize the amount of metal and ligands wherever possible.

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The use of bis(NHC) manganese(I) complexes 3 as catalysts for the hydrogenation of esters was investigated. For that purpose, a series of complexes has been synthesized via an improved two step procedure utilizing bis(NHC)-BEt adducts. By applying complexes 3 with KHBEt as additive, various aromatic and aliphatic esters were hydrogenated successfully at mild temperatures and low catalyst loadings, highlighting the efficiency of the novel catalytic system.

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The development of alternative clean energy carriers is a key challenge for our society. Carbon-based hydrogen storage materials are well-suited to undergo reversible (de)hydrogenation reactions and the development of catalysts for the individual process steps is crucial. In the current state, noble metal-based catalysts still dominate this field.

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The binuclear title compound, [Fe(CHNOSi)(CO)], consists of two central iron(0) atoms, each of them surrounded by a cyclo-penta-dienone moiety and three carbonyl ligands in a three-legged piano-stool shape. Furthermore, the bis-(cyclo-penta-dienone) ligand acts as a bridge between the two metal atoms.

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