Electrochemical carbonyl reduction on single-site M–N–C catalysts

Electrochemical conversion of organic compounds holds promise for advancing sustainable synthesis and catalysis. This study explored electrochemical carbonyl hydrogenation on single-site M–N–C (Metal Nitrogen-doped Carbon) catalysts using formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone as model reactants. We strive to correlate and understand the selectivity dependence on the nature of the metal centers. Density Functional Theory calculations revealed similar binding energetics for carbonyl groups through oxygen-down or carbon-down adsorption due to oxygen and carbon scaling. Fe–N–C exhibited specific oxyphilicity and could selectively reduce aldehydes to hydrocarbons. By contrast, the carbophilic Co–N–C selectively converted acetaldehyde and acetone to ethanol and 2-propanol, respectively. We claim that the oxyphilicity of the active sites and consequent adsorption geometry (oxygen-down vs. carbon-down) are crucial in controlling product selectivity. These findings offer mechanistic insights into electrochemical carbonyl hydrogenation and can guide the development of efficient and sustainable electrocatalytic valorization of biomass-derived compounds.