A Supramolecular Photocatalyst for the Production of Hydrogen and the Selective Hydrogenation of Tolane

Abstract

Light-driven metallo-organic catalysis: Intramolecular photoelectron transfer in the heterodinuclear complex 1 facilitates the photocatalytic production of hydrogen and the selective hydrogenation of tolane to give cis-stilbene. All three well-coordinated parts of the supramolecular system are essential: the (tbbpy)2Ru fragment as a photoactive unit, the redox-active bridging ligand as an electron relay and storage site, and the palladium as a catalytically active center.