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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Development of Heterogeneous Enantioselective Catalysts using Chiral Metal-Organic Frameworks MOFs
Published on: January 17, 2020
Well-Defined Rhodium-Gallium Catalytic Sites in a Metal-Organic Framework: Promoter-Controlled Selectivity in Alkyne
Sai Puneet Desai, Jingyun Ye, Jian Zheng1
1Institute for Integrated Catalysis, and Fundamental and Computational Science Directorate , Pacific Northwest National Laboratory , Richland , Washington 99352 , United States.
Abstract:
Promoters are ubiquitous in industrial heterogeneous catalysts. The wider roles of promoters in accelerating catalysis and/or controlling selectivity are, however, not well understood. A model system has been developed where a heterobimetallic active site comprising an active metal (Rh) and a promoter ion (Ga) is preassembled and delivered onto a metal-organic framework (MOF) support, NU-1000. The Rh-Ga sites in NU-1000 selectively catalyze the hydrogenation of acyclic alkynes to E-alkenes. The overall stereoselectivity is complementary to the well-known Lindlar's catalyst, which generates Z-alkenes. The role of the Ga in promoting this unusual selectivity is evidenced by the lack of semihydrogenation selectivity when Ga is absent and only Rh is present in the active site.
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