Objective
Molecular hydrogen is widely used today in chemical reactions, such as the addition of H2 to organic molecules, a process referred to as hydrogenation. These transformations are among the largest-volume industrial processes: for example, crude oil is treated with H2, and 108 tons of ammonia-based fertilizers are produced each year via catalytic hydrogenation. Also, hydrogen is arguably one of the most promising and valuable future fuels. Thus, any improvement in catalyst efficiency, cost efficiency, or availability would help to cut the cost of these important processes, and advances made in the field have a deep impact on both industrial and academic scenarios. Hydrogenations generally require a first step in which the strong H-H bond is cleaved. This splitting usually requires the action of a metal center, and both the mechanism and applications of transition metal catalyzed hydrogenations have been the subject of numerous studies.
However, currently there is a growing interest to part from expensive and toxic transition metal catalysts, and redirect research towards more environmentally benign organic compounds. Recent studies have demonstrated the viability of this proposal. In 2006, a groundbreaking contribution described the metal-free activation of hydrogen. This new system, based on phosphinoboranes, can add H2 reversibly under mild conditions and functions as a catalyst for the hydrogenation of imines. Although the catalytic efficiency and scope are still very limited, these results indicate that it might be possible to develop practically useful systems for H2 activation based on organic compounds. The goal of our studies is to develop an efficient new system for heterolytic dihydrogen activation which contains boron as a hydride acceptor and oxygen as proton acceptor. Ideally, this process will be catalytic, and will be coupled with the reduction of an organic compound. Moreover, non-metallic catalysts could open ways to unusual reactivity and selectivity.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry metalloids
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IEF
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
4051 Basel
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.