title: Metal-Free Ammonia-Borane Dehydrogenation Catalyzed by a Bis(borane) Lewis Acid.
abstract: The storage of energy in a safe and environmentally benign way is one of the main challenges of today's society. Ammonia-borane (AB=NH3 BH3 ) has been proposed as a possible candidate for the chemical storage of hydrogen. However, the efficient release of hydrogen is still an active field of research. Herein, we present a metal-free bis(borane) Lewis acid catalyst that promotes the evolution of up to 2.5 equivalents of H2 per AB molecule. The catalyst can be reused multiple times without loss of activity. The moderate temperature of 60 °C allows for controlling the supply of H2 on demand simply by heating and cooling. Mechanistic studies give preliminary insights into the kinetics and mechanism of the catalytic reaction.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Organische Chemie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Gießen (Germany).
authors.forename: Zhenpin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Institut für Organische Chemie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Gießen (Germany).
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schweighauser
authors.affiliation: Institut für Organische Chemie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Gießen (Germany).
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hausmann
authors.affiliation: Institut für Organische Chemie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392 Gießen (Germany). hermann.a.wegner@org.chemie.uni-giessen.de.
authors.forename: Hermann A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Wegner
keywords: Lewis acids; ammonia-borane; dehydrogenation; homogeneous catalysis; hydrogen storage