Flipped Spin‐State Resists Cobalt Poisoning for the Durable Electrocatalytic Deuteration of <i>N</i> ‐Heterocyclic Compounds

ABSTRACT Electrocatalytic deuteration represents a sustainable method for synthesizing deuterated N ‐heterocycles, which are scaffolds for drug development. However, the utility of this transformation is severely restrained by strong orbital interactions between metal sites and the lone pairs of N atoms that lead to irreversible catalyst deactivation. Here, we propose a Mn 3 Co 7 alloy electrocatalyst that triggers a high‐spin‐to‐low‐spin transition in Co. The flipped spin state originates from tuned d ‐electron pairing, promoting electron occupation in antibonding orbitals and weakening the Co–N bond. The reduced adsorption energy that facilitates the desorption of N ‐heterocycles is revealed to be the key factor driving the improved catalytic durability. This strategy enables a scaled‐up electrosynthesis with a yield of 92.5% at 1.25 A to obtain 10 g of deuterated piperazine hydrochloride. The methodological universality of diverse unsaturated N ‐heterocycles highlights the application potential.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Published
2026-07-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.7797032
Primary Topic
Chemical Reactions and Isotopes
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Flipped Spin‐State Resists Cobalt Poisoning for the Durable Electrocatalytic Deuteration of N ‐Heterocyclic Compounds

Ying Gao, Cuibo Liu, Chuanqi Cheng, Haotian Wang et al.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Chemical Reactions and Isotopes
article

Flipped Spin‐State Resists Cobalt Poisoning for the Durable Electrocatalytic Deuteration of N ‐Heterocyclic Compounds

Ying Gao, Cuibo Liu, Chuanqi Cheng, Haotian Wang, Rui Li, Bin Zhang, Meng He
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Electrocatalytic deuteration represents a sustainable method for synthesizing deuterated N ‐heterocycles, which are scaffolds for drug development. However, the utility of this transformation is severely restrained by strong orbital interactions between metal sites and the lone pairs of N atoms that lead to irreversible catalyst deactivation. Here, we propose a Mn 3 Co 7 alloy electrocatalyst that triggers a high‐spin‐to‐low‐spin transition in Co. The flipped spin state originates from tuned d ‐electron pairing, promoting electron occupation in antibonding orbitals and weakening the Co–N bond. The reduced adsorption energy that facilitates the desorption of N ‐heterocycles is revealed to be the key factor driving the improved catalytic durability. This strategy enables a scaled‐up electrosynthesis with a yield of 92.5% at 1.25 A to obtain 10 g of deuterated piperazine hydrochloride. The methodological universality of diverse unsaturated N ‐heterocycles highlights the application potential.

Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Tianjin University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Chemical Reactions and Isotopes
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.