Monomeric Copper(II) Sites Supported on Alumina Selectively Convert Methane to Methanol

Jordan Meyet, Keith Searles, Mark A. Newton, Michael Wörle, Alexander P. van Bavel, Andrew D. Horton, Jeroen A. van Bokhoven, Christophe Copéret

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

60 Scopus citations

Abstract

Monomeric CuII sites supported on alumina, prepared using surface organometallic chemistry, convert CH4 to CH3OH selectively. This reaction takes place by formation of CH3O surface species with the concomitant reduction of two monomeric CuII sites to CuI, according to mass balance analysis, infrared, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray absorption, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy studies. This material contains a significant fraction of Cu active sites (22 %) and displays a selectivity for CH3OH exceeding 83 %, based on the number of electrons involved in the transformation. These alumina-supported CuII sites reveal that C−H bond activation, along with the formation of CH3O- surface species, can occur on pairs of proximal monomeric CuII sites in a short reaction time.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)9841-9845
Number of pages5
JournalAngewandte Chemie - International Edition
Volume58
Issue number29
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 15 2019

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Catalysis
  • General Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Monomeric Copper(II) Sites Supported on Alumina Selectively Convert Methane to Methanol'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this