Surface Reconstruction for Selective Oxidation of Tetrahydroisoquinoline

Integration of hydrogen evolution with the oxidation of organic substances in one electrochemical system is highly desirable. However, achieving selective oxidation of organic substances in the integrated system is still highly challenging. In this study, a phosphorylated NiMoO4 nanoneedle-like array was designed as the catalytic active electrode for the integration of highly selective electrochemical dehydrogenation of tetrahydroisoquinolines (THIQs) with hydrogen production. The leaching of anions, including MoO4 2– and PO4 3–, facilitates the reconstruction of the catalyst. As a result, nickel oxyhydroxides with the doping of PO4 3– and richness of defects are in situ formed. In situ Raman and density functional theory calculations have shown that the high catalytic activity is attributed to the in situ formed PO4 3– involved NiOOH substance. In the dehydrogenation process, the involved C–H bond but not the N–H bond is first destroyed. A two-electrode system was then fabricated with the optimized electrode that shows a benchmark current density of 10 mA cm–2 at 1.783 V, providing a yield of 70% for dihydroisoquinolines. A robust stability was also shown for this integrated electrochemical system. The understanding of the reconstruction behavior and the achievement of selective dehydrogenation will provide some hints for electrochemical synthesis.