Accelerated Anti-Markovnikov Alkene Hydrosilylation with Humic-Acid-Supported Electron-Deficient Platinum Single Atoms

The hydrosilylation reaction is one of the largest-scale applications of homogeneous catalysis, and Pt homogeneous catalysts have been widely used in this reaction for the commercial manufacture of silicon products. However, homogeneous Pt catalysts result in considerable problems, such as undesired side reactions, unacceptable catalyst residues and disposable platinum consumption. Here, we synthesized electron-deficient Pt single atoms supported on humic matter (Pt₁@AHA_U_400), and the catalyst was used in hydrosilylation reactions, which showed super activity (turnover frequency as high as 3.0×10⁷ h⁻¹) and selectivity (>99 %). Density functional theory calculations reveal that the high performance of the catalyst results from the atomic dispersion of Pt and the electron deficiency of the Pt₁ atoms, which is different from conventional Pt nanoscale catalysts. Excellent performance is maintained during recycle experiments, indicating the high stability of the catalyst.