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Updated: May 24, 2025
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Published on: March 10, 2023
Electrocatalytic Hydrogenation of Olefins
Ping Hu1, Wentao Xu1, Lang Tian1,2
1The Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS), Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P.R. China.
Abstract:
Electrochemical synthesis offers a powerful and sustainable alternative to conventional chemical manufacturing techniques. The direct and selective electrohydrogenation of olefins has enormous potential applicability; however, this reactivity has not been sufficiently demonstrated. Herein, we show that an efficient Pt-based electrocatalyst from commercially available PtCl2 can promote such transformations. This approach enables olefins to be electrohydrogenated (often below -3.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl) at high current density (JGeo up to 133 mA cm-2) using protons and electrons as the hydrogen source. This reaction exhibits broad functional group compatibility, requires low catalyst loading, and affords a diverse series of valuable molecules (more than 60 examples) with high chemoselectivity. In addition, highly regioselective electrocatalytic hydrogenation of olefins (r.r. > 19:1) is demonstrated using PtCl2 and 2,2'-bipyridine.
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