Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation

Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation

Catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes is a transition-metal catalyzed reduction of the double bond using molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. The mode of hydrogen addition follows syn stereochemistry.
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...

Catalysis

Catalysis

The presence of a catalyst affects the rate of a chemical reaction. A catalyst is a substance that can increase the reaction rate without being consumed during the process. A basic comprehension of a catalysts’ role during chemical reactions can be understood from the concept of reaction mechanisms and energy diagrams.

Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation

Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation

Alkenes undergo reduction by the addition of molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. Because the process generally occurs in the presence of a transition-metal catalyst, the reaction is called catalytic hydrogenation.
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the...

Oxidation of Alkenes: Syn Dihydroxylation with Potassium Permanganate

Oxidation of Alkenes: Syn Dihydroxylation with Potassium Permanganate

Alkenes can be dihydroxylated using potassium permanganate. The method encompasses the reaction of an alkene with a cold, dilute solution of potassium permanganate under basic conditions to form a cis-diol along with a brown precipitate of manganese dioxide.

Oxidation of Alkenes: Syn Dihydroxylation with Osmium Tetraoxide

Oxidation of Alkenes: Syn Dihydroxylation with Osmium Tetraoxide

Alkenes are converted to 1,2-diols or glycols through a process called dihydroxylation. It involves the addition of two hydroxyl groups across the double bond with two different stereochemical approaches, namely anti and syn. Dihydroxylation using osmium tetroxide progresses with syn stereochemistry.

Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation

Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation

Introduction
Like alkenes, alkynes can be reduced to alkanes in the presence of transition metal catalysts such as Pt, Pd, or Ni. The reaction involves two sequential syn additions of hydrogen via a cis-alkene intermediate.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Electrostatic Doping of 2D Semiconductors Using Charged Dielectric Thin Films.

ACS nano·2026

Same author

Single-atom cocatalysts engineer proton microenvironments for efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution.

Chemical science·2026

Same author

Gas-Solid van der Waals Interaction Driving the Dynamic Evolution of Surface Nanostructures.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Correction to "An Amino-Acid-Derived Metal-Organic Framework with Large Pores for Unspecific Enantioseparation".

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Local Structure Modulation of Ir Single Atoms on Ce-Modified Cobalt Oxide for Acidic Oxygen Evolution.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026

Same author

An Amino-Acid-Derived Metal-Organic Framework with Large Pores for Unspecific Enantioseparation.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 17, 2025

A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions

A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions

Published on: August 17, 2016

Metallic W/WO₂ solid-acid catalyst boosts hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline electrolyte.

Zhigang Chen^1,2, Wenbin Gong^3,4, Juan Wang⁵

¹i-lab, Vacuum Interconnected Nanotech Workstation (Nano-X), Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China.

Nature Communications

|September 2, 2023

Summary

An all-non-noble W/WO2 solid-acid catalyst achieves efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction. This catalyst enables a proton-concentrated surface for fast hydrogen production, offering a promising alternative to noble metals.

More Related Videos

Simple Methods for the Preparation of Non-noble Metal Bulk-electrodes for Electrocatalytic Applications

Simple Methods for the Preparation of Non-noble Metal Bulk-electrodes for Electrocatalytic Applications

Published on: June 21, 2017

Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether

Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether

Published on: August 17, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 17, 2025

A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions

A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions

Published on: August 17, 2016

Simple Methods for the Preparation of Non-noble Metal Bulk-electrodes for Electrocatalytic Applications

Simple Methods for the Preparation of Non-noble Metal Bulk-electrodes for Electrocatalytic Applications

Published on: June 21, 2017

Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether

Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether

Published on: August 17, 2019

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Electrochemistry
Catalysis

Background:

Alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is less active than acidic HER due to proton deficiency.
Proton transfer is crucial for HER activity, often relying on noble metal catalysts.
Developing non-noble catalysts for efficient alkaline HER is a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

To design and investigate an all-non-noble catalyst for efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction.
To understand the mechanism of proton transfer and active site cycling on the catalyst surface.
To explore the potential of solid-acid catalysts in alkaline electrolytes.

Main Methods:

Synthesis of a W/WO2 metallic heterostructure as a solid-acid catalyst.
Electrochemical characterization including overpotential and Tafel slope measurements.
In situ and ex situ spectroscopy and first-principle density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Main Results:

The W/WO2 catalyst demonstrated excellent HER performance with an ultra-low overpotential (-35 mV at -10 mA/cm2) and a small Tafel slope (-34 mV/dec).
The catalyst exhibited long-term durability (>50 h) in alkaline electrolyte.
DFT calculations and spectroscopy revealed a dynamic proton-concentrated surface enabling a fast Volmer-Tafel pathway.

Conclusions:

The W/WO2 solid-acid catalyst effectively promotes alkaline HER by creating a proton-rich surface.
This work presents a viable strategy for designing advanced all-non-noble catalysts for efficient hydrogen production.
The findings offer insights into catalytic mechanisms in alkaline media, potentially guiding future catalyst development.