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Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production
Published on: December 6, 2021
Solution-based routes to ammine metal borohydrides: formation of ammonia-borane
Mehdi Mostajeran1, David J Wolstenholme, Chris Frazee
1Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences and Centre for Catalysis Research and Innovation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Canada. rbaker@uottawa.ca.
Abstract:
Ammine metal borohydrides (AMBs) have recently commanded attention as low-temperature hydrogen sources. As an alternative to widely used mechanochemical synthesis that affords mixtures with salt co-products, we have been investigating solution synthesis routes to obtain pure AMBs. Here we show that reactions of MCln + nNaBH4 with ammonia in thf afford ammonia-borane (AB) via borane abstraction from M-coordinated borohydride. The amount of AB formed correlates roughly with the metal ion electronegativity and AMB thermal stability, except for reducible metals such as Ti, which affords nearly 3 equiv. of AB per Ti.
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