title: Molecular catalysis of H2 evolution: diagnosing heterolytic versus homolytic pathways.
abstract: Molecular catalysis of H2 production from the electrochemical reduction of acids by transition-metal complexes is one of the key issues of modern energy challenges. The question of whether it proceeds heterolytically (through reaction of an initially formed metal hydride with the acid) or homolytically (through symmetrical coupling of two molecules of hydride) has to date received inconclusive answers for a quite simple reason: the theoretical bases for criteria allowing the distinction between homolytic and heterolytic pathways in nondestructive methods such as cyclic voltammetry have been lacking heretofore. They are provided here, allowing the distinction between the two pathways. The theoretical predictions and the diagnosing strategy are illustrated by catalysis of the reduction of phenol, acetic acid, and protonated triethylamine by electrogenerated iron(0) tetraphenylporphyrin. Rather than being an intrinsic property of the catalytic system, the occurrence of either a heterolytic or a homolytic pathway results from their competition as a function of the concentrations of acid and catalyst and the rate constants for hydride formation and H2 evolution by hydride protonation or dimerization.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Diderot , Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire d'Electrochimie Moléculaire, UMR 7591 CNRS, 15 rue Jean-Antoine de Baïf, F-75205 Paris Cedex 13, France.
authors.forename: Cyrille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costentin
authors.forename: Hachem
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dridi
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Savéant