Carbon monoxide and hydrogen (syngas) as a C1-building block for selective catalytic methylation

Akash Kaithal; Markus Hölscher; Walter Leitner

doi:10.1039/D0SC05404F

Carbon monoxide and hydrogen (syngas) as a C1-building block for selective catalytic methylation†

Akash Kaithal,

^ab Markus Hölscher^b and Walter Leitner

*^ab

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* Corresponding authors

^a Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Stiftstraße 34-36, Mülheim a.d. Ruhr, Germany
E-mail: walter.leitner@cec.mpg.de

^b Institut für Technische und Makromolekulare Chemie, RWTH Aachen University, Worringer Weg 2, 52074 Aachen, Germany

Abstract

A catalytic reaction using syngas (CO/H₂) as feedstock for the selective β-methylation of alcohols was developed whereby carbon monoxide acts as a C1 source and hydrogen gas as a reducing agent. The overall transformation occurs through an intricate network of metal-catalyzed and base-mediated reactions. The molecular complex [Mn(CO)₂Br[HN(C₂H₄PⁱPr₂)₂]] 1 comprising earth-abundant manganese acts as the metal component in the catalytic system enabling the generation of formaldehyde from syngas in a synthetically useful reaction. This new syngas conversion opens pathways to install methyl branches at sp³ carbon centers utilizing renewable feedstocks and energy for the synthesis of biologically active compounds, fine chemicals, and advanced biofuels.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D0SC05404F
Article type: Edge Article
Submitted: 29 Sep 2020
Accepted: 11 Nov 2020
First published: 20 Nov 2020
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry

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Chem. Sci., 2021,12, 976-982

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Carbon monoxide and hydrogen (syngas) as a C1-building block for selective catalytic methylation

A. Kaithal, M. Hölscher and W. Leitner, Chem. Sci., 2021, 12, 976 DOI: 10.1039/D0SC05404F

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Chemical Science

Carbon monoxide and hydrogen (syngas) as a C1-building block for selective catalytic methylation†

Abstract

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Carbon monoxide and hydrogen (syngas) as a C1-building block for selective catalytic methylation

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