Catalytic Solvolysis of Ammonia Borane

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie (International ed.) Vol. 49; no. 46; pp. 8708 - 8711
• Main Authors: Graham, Todd W, Tsang, Chi‐Wing, Chen, Xuanhua, Guo, Rongwei, Jia, Wenli, Lu, Shui‐Ming, Sui‐Seng, Christine, Ewart, Charles B, Lough, Alan, Amoroso, Dino, Abdur‐Rashid, Kamaluddin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley‐VCH Verlag 08-11-2010; WILEY-VCH Verlag; WILEY‐VCH Verlag
• Subjects: ammonia borane; catalytic hydrolysis; homogeneous catalysis; hydrogen storage
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201003074

Hydrogen on tap: A homogeneous catalyst system for the rapid and quantitative solvolysis of ammonia borane (AB) has been developed. The iridium catalyst is remarkably stable and can be reused with no observable degradation in activity. In the absence of solvent, the mixture of catalyst and AB efficiently generates hydrogen upon exposure to water vapor, thereby resulting in a system with considerable hydrogen storage capacity (see picture).