A cobalt phosphide catalyst for the hydrogenation of nitriles.

ABSTRACT: The study of metal phosphide catalysts for organic synthesis is rare. We present, for the first time, a well-defined nano-cobalt phosphide (nano-Co₂P) that can serve as a new class of catalysts for the hydrogenation of nitriles to primary amines. While earth-abundant metal catalysts for nitrile hydrogenation generally suffer from air-instability (pyrophoricity), low activity and the need for harsh reaction conditions, nano-Co₂P shows both air-stability and remarkably high activity for the hydrogenation of valeronitrile with an excellent turnover number exceeding 58000, which is over 20- to 500-fold greater than that of those previously reported. Moreover, nano-Co₂P efficiently promotes the hydrogenation of a wide range of nitriles, which include di- and tet

SUBMITTER: Mitsudome T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7472826 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature