Rh/C-catalyzed room-temperature electrocatalytic hydrogenation of aromatic compounds in aqueous electrolyte.

An efficient electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) system was developed in this study, employing Rh/C supported on carbon paper as the working electrode and utilizing protons from an aqueous electrolyte as the hydrogen source to achieve selective hydrogenation of aromatic compounds under ambient conditions. The catalytic system achieved up to 93% yield for hydrogenation of aromatic rings at 20 mA cm-2 current density, using 0.3 M H2SO4 and 0.5 M K2SO4 mixed electrolyte. Substrate scope analysis demonstrated broad applicability: alkyl-, amino-, halo-, methoxy-, trifluoromethyl- and tert-butyl-substituted phenols (yields: 54-88%), as well as heteroaromatics containing N, O, or S (e.g., quinoline and thiazole; yields: 52-93%), were efficiently hydrogenated. This electrocatalytic hydrogenation system not only provides a viable strategy for the green and efficient hydrogenation of aromatic compounds, but also offers theoretical support for the development of mild and sustainable catalytic systems.