Enable biomass-derived alcohols mediated alkylation and transfer hydrogenation.

ABSTRACT: A single-atom catalyst with generally regarded inert Zn-N₄ motifs derived from ZIF-8 is unexpectedly efficient for the activation of alcohols, enabling alcohol-mediated alkylation and transfer hydrogenation. C-alkylation of nitriles, ketones, alcohols, N-heterocycles, amides, keto acids, and esters, and N-alkylation of amines and amides all go smoothly with the developed method. Taking the α-alkylation of nitriles with alcohols as an example, the α-alkylation starts from the (1) nitrogen-doped carbon support catalyzed dehydrogenation of alcohols into aldehydes, which further condensed with nitriles to give vinyl nitriles, followed by (2) transfer hydrogenation of C=C bonds in vinyl nitriles on Zn-N₄ sites. The experimental results and DFT calculations reveal that the

SUBMITTER: Liu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11327299 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature