Effects of Polyethers on the Chitosan-Pd (II) Gel Beads Catalysts Prepared by a Co-Precipitation Method

The effects of polyethers (polyethylene glycol-block-polypropylene glycol-block-polyethylene glycol copolymer (PEG-PPG-PEG) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)) on the chitosan (CS)-Pd (II) gel beads catalysts prepared by a co-precipitation method have been studied. The blending of the polyethers led to an acceleration effect of the sol–gel transition. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that most of the blended polyethers component was efficiently, selectively, dissolved by water, but, unexpectedly, no pore structure was obtained. It was found that the blending of the polyethers can promote better phase dispersion of the Pd species in the CS matrix. The extracted CS/PEG-PPG-PEG/Pd gel beads catalysts had higher catalytic performance than extracted CS/PEG/Pd or CS/Pd gel beads catalysts alone due to its better phase dispersion of Pd⁰ species and stronger intermolecular interactions.     

New investigations of technical rhodium and iridium catalysts in homogeneous phase employing para-hydrogen induced polarization

It is shown that the para-hydrogen induced polarization (PHIP) phenomenon in homogenous solution containing the substrate styrene is also observable employing simple inorganic systems of the form MCl₃·xH₂O (M=Rh, Ir) as catalyst. Such observation confirms that already very simple metal complexes enable the creation of PHIP signal enhancement in solution. This opens up new pathways to increase the sensitivity of NMR and MRT by PHIP enhancement using cost-effective catalysts and will be essential for further mechanistic studies of simple transition metal systems.     

Differences between insertions of ethylene into metallocene and non‐metallocene ethylene polymerization catalysts

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations at ωB97XD/SDD level have been conducted to study the differences between the insertions of ethylene into the non‐metallocene octahedral group 4 catalysts and those into metallocene group 4 catalysts. The study shows that both can be described by the Cossess mechanim, but are different energetically. The latter have energy profiles involving stable π complexes between ethylene and catalysts prior to insertion and the insertion transition states (TSs) being lower than reactants, whereas the π complexes involved in the former are significantly less stable than their counterparts in the latter, and the insertion TSs are higher than or close to the reactants. The energy decomposition analyses on the activation energies indicate that the octahedral catalysts exert more significant steric effects than the metallocene catalysts, which are responsible for the differences. The cis arrangements of two chloride atoms in the precursors of metallocene catalysts were considered to be crucial for their catalytic activity, but the precursors of octahedral catalysts with either cis or trans arrangements of two chloride atoms exhibit activity. Nevertheless, the effective catalysts generated from octahedral precursors with cis chloride atoms have lower activation barriers than those from precursors with trans chloride atoms. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Towards an easy carbon dioxide reduction in aqueous solution

Abstract

The homogeneous hydrogenation of carbon dioxide into formate anion has been investigated in aqueous solution, using water soluble ruthenium(1I)-phosphine (meta-monosulphonated triphenylphosphine, TPPMS; and 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane, PTA) complexes as catalysts. These reactions take place in amine free medium under mild conditions, bicarbonate anion is more active than carbon dioxide in the reduction. The initial turnover frequenc of the reduction increases with increasing H₂ pressure, as it was observed in situ by C and 'H NMR spectroscopy. High pressure FT-IR were used to find evidence for the formation of the catalytically active ruthenium hydride species.     

DFT studies on the interaction of PtxRuyMz (M = Fe,Ni, Cu,Mo, Sn,x + y + z = 4, x ≥ 1, y ≥ 1) alloy clusters with O2

The reaction mechanism of O₂ dissociation on Pt_xRu_yM_z (M = Fe, Ni, Cu, Mo, Sn, x + y + z = 4, x ≥ 1, y ≥ 1) alloy catalysts have been investigated with density functional theory calculations in this work. For bare alloy clusters, bimetallic clusters are more stable than the ternary alloy clusters. The geometries of the Pt_xRu_yM_z–O₂ system, O–O bond stretching frequency and electronic-structure details have been investigated. The energies of O₂ adsorption on PtRu clusters are slightly higher than those on Pt_xRu_yM_z clusters, and the more charge transfer to O₂ from the metal cluster, the higher O₂ the adsorption energy obtains. The reaction barriers show that the catalytic performance of trimetallic clusters are better than those of bimetallic clusters, and Pt₂RuM clusters exhibit superior catalytic activity for O₂ dissociation. The different performance of these alloy clusters for O₂ dissociation is scrutinised with aid of molecular orbital and natural bond orbital population analysis.     

A high‐pressure and controlled‐flow gas system for catalysis research

A high‐pressure gas rig for in situ catalytic reactions at X‐ray absorption spectroscopy beamline (BM26A) has been developed. The rig enables catalysts to be studied in a variety of cells under well controlled and industrially relevant operation conditions. A large variety of gas mixtures can be generated and pressures of up to 50 bar with dry gas and 20 bar with wet gas (steam) can be obtained. Analyses of reaction products can be performed using an on‐line mass spectrometer.     

Ru(III), Os(VIII), Pd(II) and Pt(IV) catalysed oxidation of glycyl–glycine by sodium N‐chloro‐p‐toluenesulfonamide: comparative mechanistic aspects and kinetic modelling

The Ru(III)/Os(VIII)/Pd(II)/Pt(IV)‐catalysed kinetics of oxidation of glycyl–glycine (Gly‐Gly) by sodium N‐chloro‐p‐ toluenesulfonamide (chloramine‐T; CAT) in NaOH medium has been investigated at 308 K. The stoichiometry and oxidation products in each case were found to be the same but their kinetic patterns observed are different. Under comparable experimental conditions, the oxidation‐kinetics and mechanistic behaviour of Gly‐Gly with CAT in NaOH medium is different for each catalyst and obeys the underlying rate laws:

• Rate = k [CAT]_t [Gly‐Gly]⁰ [Ru(III)][OH^?]^x
• Rate = k [CAT]_t[Gly‐Gly]^x [Os(VIII)]^y[OH^?]^z
• Rate = k [CAT]_t[Gly‐Gly]^x [Pd(II)][OH^?]^y
• Rate = k [CAT]_t[Gly‐Gly]⁰ [Pt(IV)]^x[OH^?]^y

Here, and x, y, z < 1 in all the cases. The anion of CAT, CH₃C₆H₄SO₂NCl^?, has been postulated as the common reactive oxidising species in all the cases. Under comparable experimental conditions, the relative ability of these catalysts towards oxidation of Gly‐Gly by CAT are in the order: Os(VIII) > Ru(III) > Pt(IV) > Pd(II). This trend may be attributed to the different d‐electronic configuration of the catalysts. Further, the rates of oxidation of all the four catalysed reactions have been compared with uncatalysed reactions, under identical experimental conditions. It was found that the catalysed reaction rates are 7‐ to 24‐fold faster. Based on the observed experimental results, detailed mechanistic interpretation and the related kinetic modelling have been worked out for each catalyst. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Regulating the surface of nanoceria and its applications in heterogeneous catalysis

Ceria (CeO₂) as a support, additive, and active component for heterogeneous catalysis has been demonstrated to have great catalytic performance, which includes excellent thermal structural stability, catalytic efficiency, and chemoselectivity. Understanding the surface properties of CeO₂ and the chemical reactions occurred on the corresponding interfaces is of great importance in the rational design of heterogeneous catalysts for various reactions. In general, the reversible Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ redox pair and the surface acid-base properties contribute to the superior intrinsic catalytic capability of CeO₂, and hence yield enhanced catalytic phenomenon in many reactions. Particularly, nanostructured CeO₂ is characterized by a large number of surface-bound defects, which are primarily oxygen vacancies, as the surface active catalytic sites. Many efforts have therefore been made to control the surface defects and properties of CeO₂ by various synthetic strategies and post-treatments. The present review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in regulating the surface structure and composition of CeO₂ and its applications in catalysis.     

Nucleophilic reactivity of thiolate, hydroxide and phenolate ions towards a model O-arylated diazeniumdiolate prodrug in aqueous and cationic surfactant media

The kinetics of aromatic nucleophilic substitution of the nitric oxide‐generating diazeniumdiolate ion, DEA/NO, by thiols (L ‐glutathione, L ‐cysteine, DL ‐homocysteine, 1‐propanethiol, 2‐mercaptoethanol, and sodium thioglycolate) from the prodrug, DNP‐DEA/NO, has been examined in aqueous solution and in solutions of cationic DOTAP vesicles. Second‐order rate constants in buffered aqueous solutions (k_RS‐ = 3.48–30.9 M^?1 s^?1; 30 °C) gave a linear Brønsted plot (β_nuc = 0.414 ± 0.068) consistent with the rate‐limiting S_NAr nucleophilic attack by thiolate ions. Cationic DOTAP vesicles catalyze the thiolysis reactions with rate enhancements between 11 and 486‐fold in Tris‐HCl buffered solutions at pH 7.4. The maximum rate increase was obtained with thioglycolate ion. Thiolysis data are compared to data for nucleophilic displacement by phenolate (k_PhO‐ = 0.114 M^?1 s^?1) and hydroxide (k_OH‐ = 1.82 × 10^?2 M^?1 s^?1, 37 °C) ions. The base hydrolysis reaction is accelerated by CTAB micelles and DODAC vesicles, with the vesicles being ca 3‐fold more effective as catalysts. Analysis of the data using pseudo‐phase ion‐exchange (PIE) formalism implies that the rate enhancement of the thiolysis and base hydrolysis reactions is primarily due to reactant concentration in the surfactant pseudo‐phase. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polyoxaethylene polypodands – powerful reduction catalysts in solid–liquid and liquid–liquid phase transfer systems

The excellent catalytic properties of polypodands, esters of inorganic acids, as phase‐transfer catalysts have been reported previously. Unfortunately, these compounds are unstable under hydrolytic conditions. A group of new, hydrolytically stable podands has been synthesized. Their complex forming abilities towards alkali metal ions have been studied. The podands studied have been used as catalysts in phase transfer catalysis conditions. The kinetics of this process has been determined. All compounds prepared have been found to complex metal ions and are a powerful catalysts in reduction of ketones by borohydrides in solid–liquid and liquid–liquid systems. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Activation volumes of hydrolyses of maltose and maltotriose over an immobilized glucoamylase catalyst

Abstract

Initial rates of hydrolysis of maltose and maltotriose over an immobilized glucoamylase have been measured up to 127 MPa at 25±0.1°C. The observed rates have been analyzed showing the reaction pathways of both hydrolyses to be E+S?ES*?ES7ast;E+P, where E, S, P, ES*, and ES denote the enzyme, the substrate, the product, a substrate-subsite complex, and a substrate-active site complex, respectively. The apparent maximum rate r^mand the apparent Michaelis constant K^m as well as their respective pressure dependences in terms of the apparent activation volume Δ V_app ^# and the apparent volume of reaction Δ V_app have been evaluated. Small absolute values of Δ V_app ^num; and Δ V_app for both reactions have been discussed on the basis of the reaction mechanism.     

双金属RuM（M=Co，Ni）合金纳米粒子负载于MIL-110（Al）：协同催化氨硼烷水解释氢

By adjusting various Ru/M (M=Co, Ni) molar ratios, a series of highly dispersed bimetallic RuM alloy nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on MIL-110(Al) have been successfully prepared via a conventional impregnation-reduction method. And they are first used as heterogeneous catalysts for the dehydrogenation reaction of AB at room temperature. The results reveal that the as-prepared Ru₁Co₁@MIL-110 and Ru₁Ni₁@MIL-110 exhibit the highest catalytic activities in different RuCo and RuNi molar ratios, respectively. It is worthy of note that the turnover frequency (TOF) values of Ru₁Co₁@MIL-110 and Ru₁Ni₁@MIL-110 catalysts reached 488.1 and 417.1 mol H₂ min^-1 (mol Ru)^-1 and the activation energies (E_a) are 31.7 and 36.0 kJ/mol, respectively. The superior catalytic performance is attributed to the bimetallic synergistic action between Ru and M, uniform distribution of metal NPs as well as bi-functional effect between RuM alloy NPs and MIL-110. Moreover, these catalysts exhibit favorable stability after 5 consecutive cycles for the hydrolysis of AB.     

No-catalyst growth of vertically-aligned AlN nanocone field electron emitter arrays with high emission performance at low temperature

The AlN nanostructures with a wide band-gap of 6.28 eV are considered as ideal cold cathode materials because of their low electron-affinity. Many methods have been devoted to fabricating AlN nanostructures, but high growth temperature over 800°C and the use of the catalysts in most methods limit their practical application and result in their poor field-emission behaviours in uniformity. This paper reports that without any catalysts, a simple chemical vapour deposition method is used to synthesize aligned AlN nanocone arrays at 550°C on silicon substrate or indium tin oxide glass. Field emission measurements show that these nanocones prepared at low temperature have an average turn-on field of 6 V/μm and a threshold field of 11.7 V/μm as well as stable emission behaviours at high field, which suggests that they have promising applications in field emission area.     

Influence of 3d metal atoms on the geometry,electronic structure,and stability of a Mg13H26 cluster

This paper reports on the results of the theoretical investigation of magnesium hydride nanoclusters doped with 3d metals (from Sc to Zn). The influence of transition metal atoms on the geometry, electronic structure, and energy characteristics of the clusters has been analyzed. The results of the performed calculations have been compared with the available experimental data. This comparison has made it possible to predict which 3d transition elements can serve as the most effective catalysts for the improvement of the thermodynamic characteristics of MgH₂.     

Zirconia supported 12-molybdophosphoric acid: Physico-chemical characterization and non-solvent liquid phase oxidation of styrene

A series of solid catalysts comprising 12-molybdophosphoric acid (PM) and hydrous zirconia (Z) have been synthesized by wet impregnation and characterized by various physico-chemical techniques. The structure of PM onto the surface of the support has been confirmed by ³¹P MAS NMR and XPS. Non-solvent liquid phase oxidation of styrene has been carried out with 30% aqueous H₂O₂ as an oxidant by varying different parameters over fresh catalysts. The catalytic activity of calcinated catalysts has also been evaluated by carrying out same oxidation reaction under optimized conditions. As solid catalysts, they show high conversion of styrene with good selectivity towards benzaldehyde and styrene epoxide.     

The use of acids,niobium oxide,and zeolite catalysts for esterification reactions

We have evaluated the influence of alcohol/fatty acid molar ratio (methanol or ethanol), water and catalyst concentrations and temperature by the esterification of palm fatty acids by heterogeneous acid catalysts (varying types, forms, and particle size). Polynaphtalene sulfonic acid (PSA) and niobium oxide (Nb₂O₅) presented better performance than zeolite catalysts. Reaction with methanol presented higher conversion than with ethanol. The experimental design showed that the most relevant variable is the catalyst concentration and all interactions become important in process. A heterogeneous kinetic model was proposed and applied to experimental data. One of the models was adequate for methanol reaction, whereas the homogeneous model was more appropriate for ethanol reaction. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electrochemical Studies on Substituted Iron-Hexacyanoiron(III) Bi-Layered Thin Films at Glassy Carbon Electrode/Electrolyte Interface

Thin films (30–50 nm) of bilayered HCM (hexacyanometalates) were prepared using direct electrodeposition or electrochemically driven insertion-substitution of PB (Prussian Blue) or InHCF (Indium Hexacyanoferrate) or K..In _x [Fe{CN}₆] _y , as starting material. The redox behavior of the immobilized counter/central ions at GCE/electrolyte interface have been investigated in aqueous KCl (pH 1) electrolytes using dynamic voltammetric techniques. Studies show that when the counter Fe or In ion is replaced by expandable partially filled d orbits elements such as Ru³⁺ a redox wave of the inserted counter ion is observed. Furthermore, the substitution of Fe as a counter ion with other poly-valent cations was found to be reversible if PB was the starting material. Studies were extended to include the EC (electrochemical) behavior of related HCM compounds such as K...Al _x [Fe{CN}₆] _y K, Ni _x [Fe{CN}₆] _y Cu _x [Fe{CN}₆] _y , K..Zn _x [Fe{CN}₆] _y and, K..Ru[Fe{CN}₆]₃. Unlike studied 3d cations, GCE modified with thin films of copper-hexacyanoiron (III) KCu _x [Fe{CN}₆] _y or CHF showed two redox waves with E^o _f 0.6, 0.9 V vs Ag/AgCl. Studies showed that even immobilized Cu ions were capable of catalyzing the oxidation of hydrazine and sulfite. The mechanism for electro-oxidation is also included.     

Effect of Preparation Method on the SCR Activity of Fe-Doped CoCr Oxide Catalysts

Fe-doped CoCr oxide catalysts are prepared by solid-phase mixing method, coprecipitation method, mechanical mixing method, and citric acid method, respectively, and their catalytic activity in the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides with NH₃ (NH₃-SCR) is tested. The Fe_0.5CoCrO_x catalysts prepared by all preparation methods have good water resistance and sulfur resistance when the calcination temperature is 400 °C. Fe_0.5CoCrO_x prepared by coprecipitation method by calcination at 400 °C (CP-400) is shown to have the optimum catalyst activity. In addition, the catalysts are characterized by a series of characterizations. The characterization results show that CP-400 has the largest specific surface area, which makes the active and acidic sites highly dispersed on the surface of CP-400, resulting in stronger redox and acidity and improved SCR activity. The removal of NO by NH₃-SCR over CP-400 at 150 °C follows the Eley-Rideal (E R) and Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L H) mechanisms.     

Synthesis, structure and photocatalytic activity of nano TiO2 and nano Ti1-xMxO2-δ (M = Cu, Fe, Pt, Pd, V, W, Ce, Zr)

We have synthesized 5–7 nm size, highly crystalline TiO₂ which absorbs radiation in the visible region of solar spectrum. The material shows higher photocatalytic activity both in UV and visible region of the solar radiation compared to commercial Degussa P25 TiO₂. Transition metal ion substitution for Ti⁴⁺ creates mid-gap states which act as recombination centers for electron-hole induced by photons thus reducing photocatalytic activity. However, Pt, Pd and Cu ion substituted TiO₂ are excellent CO oxidation and NO reduction catalysts at temperatures less than 100° C.     

In situ observation of Ni–Mo–S phase formed on NiMo/Al2O3 catalyst sulfided at high pressure by means of Ni and Mo K‐edge EXAFS spectroscopy

To obtain direct evidence of the formation of the Ni–Mo–S phase on NiMo/Al₂O₃ catalysts under high‐pressure hydrodesulfurization conditions, a high‐pressure EXAFS chamber has been constructed and used to investigate the coordination structure of Ni and Mo species on the catalysts sulfided at high pressure. The high‐pressure chamber was designed to have a low dead volume and was equipped with polybenzimidazole X‐ray windows. Ni K‐edge k³χ(k) spectra with high signal‐to‐noise ratio were obtained using this high‐pressure chamber for the NiMo/Al₂O₃ catalyst sulfided at 613 K and 1.1 MPa over a wide k range (39.5–146 nm^?1). The formation of Ni–Mo and Mo–Ni coordination shells was successfully proved by Ni and Mo K‐edge EXAFS measurement using this chamber. Interatomic distances of these coordination shells were almost identical to those calculated from Ni K‐edge EXAFS of NiMo/C catalysts sulfided at atmospheric pressure. These results support the hypothesis that the Ni–Mo–S phase is formed on the Al₂O₃‐supported NiMo catalyst sulfided under high‐pressure hydrodesulfurization conditions.