Birch reduction of benzene in a low-temperature plasma.
Selective and specific dihydrogenation of benzene and other arenes has been observed in a low-temperature helium plasma. A surface Birch reduction mechanism has been proposed in which benzene molecules adsorbed on the discharge surface capture low-energy surface-adsorbed electrons and subsequently undergo protonation (see picture). Gas-phase oxidation processes accompany the reduction reaction.
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Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
Xia
Yu
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Zhu
Zhenli
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Zhang
Xinrong
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Cooks
R Graham
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