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Updated: May 10, 2026

Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether
Published on: August 17, 2019
Combinations of ethers and B(C6F5)3 function as hydrogenation catalysts
Lindsay J Hounjet1, Christoph Bannwarth, Christian N Garon
1Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H6, Canada.
Labile adducts of dialkyl ethers and the borane B(C6F5)3 facilitate hydrogen isotope scrambling and catalyze hydrogenation reactions. This discovery offers new pathways in catalytic chemistry.
Area of Science:
- Organometallic Chemistry
- Catalysis
- Borane Chemistry
Background:
- Dialkyl ethers can form labile adducts with strong Lewis acids.
- Electrophilic boranes are potent Lewis acids with diverse reactivity.
- Hydrogen isotope exchange and hydrogenation are fundamental chemical transformations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reactivity of dialkyl ether-borane adducts.
- To explore their potential in hydrogen isotope scrambling (HD to H2 and D2).
- To evaluate their catalytic activity in hydrogenation reactions.
Main Methods:
- Formation of adducts between dialkyl ethers and tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (B(C6F5)3).
- Reaction monitoring using techniques to detect hydrogen isotopes (H2, D2, HD).
- Testing the catalytic activity in the hydrogenation of 1,1-diphenylethylene.
Main Results:
- The labile adducts effectively promote the scrambling of hydrogen and deuterium.
- These adducts catalyze the hydrogenation of 1,1-diphenylethylene.
- Reactivity is observed regardless of the specific dialkyl ether used.
Conclusions:
- Dialkyl ether-borane adducts are versatile reagents in catalysis.
- They offer a novel method for hydrogen isotope exchange.
- These findings open new avenues for catalytic hydrogenation using borane complexes.
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