title: Interstitial modification of palladium nanoparticles with boron atoms as a green catalyst for selective hydrogenation.
abstract: Lindlar catalysts comprising of palladium/calcium carbonate modified with lead acetate and quinoline are widely employed industrially for the partial hydrogenation of alkynes. However, their use is restricted, particularly for food, cosmetic and drug manufacture, due to the extremely toxic nature of lead, and the risk of its leaching from catalyst surface. In addition, the catalysts also exhibit poor selectivities in a number of cases. Here we report that a non-surface modification of palladium gives rise to the formation of an ultra-selective nanocatalyst. Boron atoms are found to take residence in palladium interstitial lattice sites with good chemical and thermal stability. This is favoured due to a strong host-guest electronic interaction when supported palladium nanoparticles are treated with a borane tetrahydrofuran solution. The adsorptive properties of palladium are modified by the subsurface boron atoms and display ultra-selectivity in a number of challenging alkyne hydrogenation reactions, which outclass the performance of Lindlar catalysts.
authors.affiliation: Wolfson Catalysis Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QR, UK.
authors.forename: Chun Wong Aaron
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Wolfson Catalysis Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QR, UK.
authors.forename: Abdul Hanif
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Mahadi
authors.affiliation: Wolfson Catalysis Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QR, UK.
authors.forename: Molly Meng-Jung
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Johnson Matthey Technology Centre, Blount's Court, Sonning Common, Reading RG4 9NH, UK.
authors.forename: Elena Cristina
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Corbos
authors.affiliation: Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Chilton OX11 0DE, UK.
authors.forename: Chiu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: 1] Johnson Matthey Technology Centre, Blount's Court, Sonning Common, Reading RG4 9NH, UK [2] Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, UK.
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, UK.
authors.forename: Winson Chun Hsin
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.affiliation: Johnson Matthey Technology Centre, Blount's Court, Sonning Common, Reading RG4 9NH, UK.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cookson
authors.affiliation: Johnson Matthey Technology Centre, Blount's Court, Sonning Common, Reading RG4 9NH, UK.
authors.forename: Christopher Michael
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Johnson Matthey Technology Centre, Blount's Court, Sonning Common, Reading RG4 9NH, UK.
authors.forename: Peter Trenton
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.affiliation: Wolfson Catalysis Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QR, UK.
authors.forename: Shik Chi Edman
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Tsang