Hydrogen Reduction Reaction (HRR)

Title:

Hydrogen Reduction Reaction (HRR)

Schedule:

Date: 18^th August 2023 (Friday)

Time: 5 - 6 pm (HKT)

Venue: Lecture Theatre T4, Ming Wah Complex 

Speaker:

Dr. Hai-Xu Wang

Department of Chemistry

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Abstract: 

The year 2023 marks the bicentennial of the discovery of H₂ catalysis. Nowadays, the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR), which converts H₂ to protons (H⁺), and hydrogenation reactions, which transfer H-atoms (H·) to organic substrates from H₂, play pivotal roles in various chemical industries. In comparison, it is surprising that the analogous heterogenous catalytic reaction that directly converts H₂ to hydrides (H^–) still remains elusive. In this talk, I will report the discovery of such a transformation via the electrocatalytic hydrogen reduction reaction (HRR) which in net reduces H₂ to hydrides, together with the highly tunable and polarization-controlled hydride transfer reactivity of surface metal−H species which is distinct from conventional molecular hydride reagents. I will further demonstrate the existence of electrochemical hydride transfer in non-electrochemical heterolytic H₂ catalysis which provides new mechanistic insights into many industrially relevant transformations such as CO₂ fixation and biocatalysis. 

- ALL ARE WELCOME -