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Guaiacol Hydrodeoxygenation Mechanism on Pt(111): Insights from Density Functional Theory and Linear Free Energy Relations

Author:
Lee, Kyungtae, Gu, Geun Ho, Mullen, Charles A., Boateng, Akwasi A., Vlachos, Dionisios G.
Source:
CHEMSUSCHEM 2015 v.8 no.2 pp. 315-322
ISSN:
1864-5631
Subject:
adsorption, carbon, catechol, energy, guaiacol, hydrogenation, phenol
Abstract:
Density functional theory is used to study the adsorption of guaiacol and its initial hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reactions on Pt(111). Previous Brønsted–Evans–Polanyi (BEP) correlations for small open-chain molecules are inadequate in estimating the reaction barriers of phenolic compounds except for the side group (methoxy) carbon-dehydrogenation. New BEP relations are established using a select group of phenolic compounds. These relations are applied to construct a potential-energy surface of guaiacol-HDO to catechol. Analysis shows that catechol is mainly produced via dehydrogenation of the methoxy functional group followed by the CHx (x<3) removal of the functional group and hydrogenation of the ring carbon, in contrast to a hypothesis of a direct demethylation path. Dehydroxylation and demethoxylation are slow, implying that phenol is likely produced from catechol but not through its direct dehydroxylation followed by aromatic carbon-ring hydrogenation.
Agid:
60162