Proton coupled electron transfer behavior of metal-oxo deoxydehydration catalysts
by Canote, Cody A.; Tran, Randy; Kilyanek, Stefan M.
Deoxydehydration (DODH) is a critical reaction for the up-conversion of biomass derived materials such as diols and polyols. These biomass derived materials can be converted to commodity chems., such as alkenes and dienes, that are currently produced from petroleum refining. By exploiting proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions using bulk electrolysis, our group can facilitate the critical reduction reactions of the catalytic cycle of DODH without the need of added stoichiometric chem. reductants. Two early-metal catalyst systems will be discussed. The PCET behavior and the challenges of catalyst turnover of each system will be discussed in detail.