AgCu bimetallic electrocatalyst for the selective dechlorination of 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropyridine carboxylic acid

Electrochemical selective dechlorination for the synthesis of high value-added chemical products is an economical and promising technology. Although silver (Ag) electrode is the most representative catalyst in most electrocatalytic dehalogenation reactions, the selectivity for specific reaction needs to be improved. In this framework, AgCu bimetallic electrocatalysts were designed for the selective dechlorination of 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropyridine carboxylic acid (4-N-3,5,6-TCP) to 4-amino-3,6-dichloropyridolinic acid (4-N-3,6-DCP). The optimum Ag 16 Cu 4 electrode exhibits excellent performance with 99.0% selectivity and 98.8% yield of 4-N-3,6-DCP, surpassing the pure Ag electrode. The combined results of experimental measurements and theoretical calculations indicated that the introduction of Cu modulates the electronic structure of Ag, which not only promoted the transfer of charges, but also reduces the energy barrier of the rate-determining step (the C H formation). In addition, the practicality and scalability of this system was evaluated using a flow-cell reactor. This study demonstrates that AgCu bimetallic catalyst plays a crucial role in determining the selectivity and activity in the electrochemical dechlorination of 4-N-3,5,6-TCP and displays the prospective applications.