On-demand hydrogen production at room temperature through silylation of alcohol-amines with no added catalysts

Hydrogen-based energy is an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels. However, its use is limited due to the lack of readily available hydrogen resources. This work focuses on the production of hydrogen on-demand by coupling hydrosilanes and alcohol-amines. This is a single step reaction that takes place at room temperature with no added catalysts, which represent significant advantages compared to alternative procedures reported in the literature. The scope of the reaction was investigated using 24 alcohol-amines and 8 hydrosilanes. Depending on the reactants used, kinetic essays demonstrated that for most reactants, more than 70 % hydrogen yield was obtained within 30 min of reaction. The generation of hydrogen was confirmed by gas chromatography, and the silylated products were identified by 13 C and 29 Si-NMR. Results suggested that both OH and NH x were involved in hydrogen production, with the hydroxyl groups being significantly more reactive. In addition to being a reactant, the amine group was found to be an internal catalyst. • Hydrosilanes react with alcohol-amines with no added catalysts to produce hydrogen. • Hydrogen yields exceed 70 % in 30 min at room conditions depending on reactants. • Hydroxyls are more reactive than amine groups toward the dehydrogenative coupling. • Amine groups also act as internal catalysts.