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Liquid palladium for high-turnover carbon-carbon bond formation

Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Carbon-carbon (C─C) bond formation is a key step in diverse chemical processes and requires high-performance catalysts to enable energy-efficient technologies. Here, we present liquid Pd catalysts, formed by dissolving Pd in liquid Ga, for high-turnover C─C coupling reactions. The liquid Pd catalyst achieved a turnover frequency of 2.5 × 10 8 hour −1 for a model coupling reaction at 70°C, surpassing all reported Pd catalysts by 1000-fold. Our results show that Pd atoms in the Ga matrix are liquid-like, exhibiting unique electronic and interfacial properties that substantially lower the energy barrier and enhance reaction kinetics. The system retained full activity over five cycles and showed no Pd leaching, highlighting the transformative potential of liquid-phase metals to advance high-throughput and sustainable C─C bond-forming strategies.
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adt9037
Authors: Md. Hasan Al Banna, Nieves Flores, Ziqi Zhou, Nastaran Meftahi, Salvy P. Russo, Pramod Koshy, Francois-Marie Allioux, Mohammad B. Ghasemian, Junma Tang, Sarina Sarina, Jianbo Tang, Andrew J. Christofferson, Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh, Md. Arifur Rahim
Institutions: The University of Sydney, UNSW Sydney, Swinburne University of Technology, RMIT University, Westlake University, Monash University
Language: English
Field: Chemistry
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
OpenAlex ID: W4408929059
FWCI: 3.197
Cites: 26
Cited by: 11
Related to: 10