Water-Mediated Electronic-State Modulation Enables Selective C–OCH3 Cleavage in Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation
Solvents can dictate reaction pathways in heterogeneous catalysis, but the molecular-scale mechanisms that enable their selective promotion of bond cleavage remain unclear. Here, we show that water acts as an electronic-state modulator on a Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalyst, switching guaiacol conversion from aromatic ring hydroge...