Molecular nitrogen promotes catalytic hydrodeoxygenation

A work led by a group of international researchers has shown an unpredictable activity of N₂ in promoting the hydrodeoxygenation of bio-oil over supported ruthenium catalysts [Nature Catalysis 2(12):1078-1087(2019)]. By using in-situ X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) at the photoemission end-station (BL10B, HLS), the transformations associated with N₂ activation and metal surface oxidation could be convincingly observed, enabling the in-depth understanding of the reaction mechanism. This work shed light on the exploration of N₂ activation under mild condition and the development of novel catalysts for achieving N₂-assisted catalysis.

Nitrogen molecules are hydrogenated on the surface of supported ruthenium clusters

 under mild conditions to form nitrogen-hydrogen species (NNH and NNH_x)