Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogenation with a Palladium Membrane Reactor

We report here the benefits of using a palladium membrane reactor to drive hydrogenation chemistry with electricity while bypassing the formation of gaseous H₂. This technique uses a palladium membrane to physically separate the electrochemical and hydrogenation chemistry. As a result, hydrogenation can be performed electrochemically with protons but in any organic solvent. In this article, we outline a series of experiments showing how hydrogenation in the palladium membrane reactor proceeds at faster reaction rates and with much higher voltage efficiency than hydrogenation at an electrode. Moreover, the organic reaction chemistry in the membrane reactor can be performed in organic solvents and without contamination by electrolytes. The physical separation of the hydrogenation compartment from the electrolysis compartment therefore broadens the scope of electrolytically-driven reactions that are available, and simplifies reagent handling and purification.