Ligand-induced substrate steering and reshaping of [Ag2(H)](+) scaffold for selective CO2 extrusion from formic acid.

ABSTRACT: Metalloenzymes preorganize the reaction environment to steer substrate(s) along the required reaction coordinate. Here, we show that phosphine ligands selectively facilitate protonation of binuclear silver hydride cations, [LAg2(H)](+) by optimizing the geometry of the active site. This is a key step in the selective, catalysed extrusion of carbon dioxide from formic acid, HO2CH, with important applications (for example, hydrogen storage). Gas-phase ion-molecule reactions, collision-induced dissociation (CID), infrared and ultraviolet action spectroscopy and computational chemistry link structure to reactivity and mechanism. [Ag2(H)](+) and [Ph3PAg2(H)](+) react with formic acid yielding Lewis adducts, while [(Ph3P)2Ag2(H)](+) is unreactive. Using bis(diphenylphosphino)methane (dppm) reshapes the geometry of the binuclear Ag2(H)(+) scaffold, triggering reactivity towards formic acid, to produce [dppmAg2(O2CH)](+) and H2. Decarboxylation of [dppmAg2(O2CH)](+) via CID regenerates [dppmAg2(H)](+). These gas-phase insights inspired variable temperature NMR studies that show CO2 and H2 production at 70 °C from solutions containing dppm, AgBF4, NaO2CH and HO2CH.

SUBMITTER: Zavras A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4897753 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature