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Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Hydrogen Production and Utilization in a Membrane Reactor
Published on: March 10, 2023
Intracellular Transfer Hydrogenation Mediated by Unprotected Organoiridium Catalysts
Sohini Bose1, Anh H Ngo1, Loi H Do1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Houston , Houston, Texas 77004, United States.
Abstract:
In the present work, we show for the first time that the conversion of aldehydes to alcohols can be achieved using "unprotected" iridium transfer hydrogenation catalysts inside living cells. The reactions were observed in real time by confocal fluorescence microscopy using a Bodipy fluorogenic substrate. We propose that the reduced cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is a possible hydride source inside the cell based on studies using pyruvate as a cellular redox modulator. We expect that this biocompatible reductive chemistry will be broadly useful to practitioners working at the interface of chemistry and the life sciences.
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