Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2025

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
An amorphous Ni-Fe catalyst for electrocatalytic dehydrogenation of alcohols to value-added chemicals
Mingzhu Zhao1,2, Chengying Guo1, Chengqing Liu1
1Key Laboratory of Interfacial Reaction & Sensing Analysis in Universities of Shandong; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Institution; University of Jinan, Jinan, Shandong 250022, P. R. China. chm_sunx@ujn.edu.cn.
Abstract:
As for the hydrogen production process via electrocatalytic water splitting, the green and sustainable electro-oxidation of organic molecules at the anode is thermodynamically more favourable than the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Here, we proposed for the first time to replace the OER process by the oxidation of N-Boc-4-piperidine methanol (BPM), via a parallel reaction, which finally leads to the green production of N-Boc-4-piperidine carboxaldehyde (BPC). The amorphous NiFeO(OH) nanospheres with rich valence states were adopted as the anode catalyst, with creation of more active sites. The gas chromatography results showed that nearly all the BPM converted to BPC after 15 h reaction. The electrochemical tests showed that the Faraday efficiency (FE) approaches nearly 100% when the charge transfer is approximately equal to the theoretical charge. This work reports a new process for the alcohol oxidation, providing a valuable green organic synthesis process.
Related Concept Videos
Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
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...
Alcohols from Carbonyl Compounds: Reduction
Catalytic hydrogenation is similar to the reduction of an alkene or alkyne by adding H2 across the pi bond in the presence of transition metal catalysts like Raney Ni, Pd–C, Pt, or Ru. Aldehydes and ketones can be reduced by this method, often under mild to moderate heat (25–100°C) and...
Reduction of Alkenes: 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...
Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
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.
Aldehydes and Ketones with Alcohols: Hemiacetal Formation
Acid-Catalyzed Dehydration of Alcohols to Alkenes

