Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2025

Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether
Published on: August 17, 2019
Photocatalytic Methanol Dehydrogenation with Switchable Selectivity
Jie Luo1,2, Cheng Zhu2,3,4,5, Jialu Li6
1Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
Abstract:
Switchable selectivity achieved by altering reaction conditions within the same photocatalytic system offers great advantages for sustainable chemical transformations and renewable energy conversion. In this study, we investigate an efficient photocatalytic methanol dehydrogenation with controlled selectivity by varying the concentration of nickel cocatalyst, using zinc indium sulfide nanocrystals as a semiconductor photocatalyst, which enables the production of either formaldehyde or ethylene glycol with high selectivity. Control experiments revealed that formaldehyde is initially generated and can either serve as a terminal product or intermediate in producing ethylene glycol, depending on the nickel concentration in the solution. Mechanistic studies suggest a unique role of ionic nickel as an additional photoelectron competitor that can significantly influence selectivity, alongside its well-established function as a hydrogen evolution reaction cocatalyst under photocatalytic conditions. The demonstrated switchable selectivity provides a new tool for producing diverse products from methanol, while advancing the understanding of cocatalyst behavior for versatile catalytic performance.
More Related Videos
13:09Utilization of Stop-flow Micro-tubing Reactors for the Development of Organic Transformations
Published on: January 4, 2018
12:08Catalytic Reactions at Amine-Stabilized and Ligand-Free Platinum Nanoparticles Supported on Titania During Hydrogenation of Alkenes and Aldehydes
Published on: June 24, 2022
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...
Hydroboration-Oxidation of Alkenes
Oxidation of Alkenes: Syn Dihydroxylation with Osmium Tetraoxide
Regioselectivity and Stereochemistry of Acid-Catalyzed Hydration
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...
Regioselectivity of Electrophilic Additions to Alkenes: Markovnikov's Rule
The hydrohalogenation of an unsymmetrical alkene can yield two haloalkane products, depending on which vinylic carbon takes up the halogen. However, one product usually predominates, where hydrogen adds to the vinylic carbon bearing the...