Research Overview
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Recent PhD graduate and Resnick Fellow, Matthew Chalkley, is a member of a research team that developed a molecular mediator for shuttling hydrogen atom equivalents to a substrate. The research is summarized in the publication, "A Molecular Mediator for Reductive Concerted Proton-Electron Transfers via Electrocatalysis", and notes that the construct can deliver both a proton and an electron to a substrate from an acid and a cathode while skirting the hydrogen gas evolution pathway. Such mediators can help to efficiently utilize solar-derived electricity to drive reductive transformations via electrocatalysis.
Scientific Achievement
We developed a molecular mediator to deliver a proton and electron to a substrate in a concerted fashion.
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Significance and Impact
Concerted delivery of proton and electrons, as opposed to stepwise delivery, requires significantly less energy input.
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Technical Details
- The process is electrocatalytic
- Concerted proton-electron transfer is rate limiting
- Approach involves synthetic integration of a redox mediator and a Brønsted acid
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Matthew J. Chalkley, Pablo Garrido-Barros, Jonas C. Peters (2020) A Molecular Mediator for Reductive Concerted Proton-Electron Transfers via Electrocatalysis. Science Aug 2020, 369, 850-854. DOI: 10.1126/science.abc1607
Contact: Jonas C. Peters