Selective oxidation of hydrocarbons catalyzed by iron-containing heterogeneous catalysts

Recent studies on iron-based heterogeneous catalysts for selective oxidation of hydrocarbons are reviewed with emphasis on the partial oxidation of methane and the epoxidation of alkenes. High dispersion of iron sites is essentially important for the selective oxidations. The effective catalysts include immobilized or encapsulated iron complexes, iron-doped metal oxides such as Fe³⁺-doped silica, iron-containing microporous and mesoporous materials, and iron-containing compounds with isolated iron sites typified by iron phosphate. The structure-reactivity relationships and the factors affecting the catalytic performances are discussed with the aim to uncover the requirements of the active iron sites in target-selective oxidation.     

Y-type zeolites for the catalytic oxidative degradation of organic azo dyes in wastewater

Cobalt- and iron-containing catalysts active in the oxidation of organic dyes with hydrogen peroxide have been prepared from granular synthetic NaY and HY zeolites without a binder by ion exchange followed by heat treatment at 350–500°C. It has been demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy that cobalt and iron in these catalysts are in the form of Co²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions on the support surface. The FeHY and CoNaY catalysts are most effective and stable in the oxidation of the anionic dye carmoisine in weakly acidic and alkaline media.     

Effect of calcination temperature on the physicochemical and catalytic properties of FeSO<Subscript>4</Subscript>/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in hydrogen sulfide oxidation

The effect of calcination temperature on the state of the active component of iron-containing catalysts prepared by the impregnation of silica gel with a solution of FeSO₄ and on their catalytic properties in selective H₂S oxidation to sulfur was studied. With the use of thermal analysis, XPS, and Mössbauer spectroscopy, it was found that an X-ray amorphous iron-containing compound of complex composition was formed on the catalyst surface after thermal treatment in the temperature range of 400–500°C. This compound contained Fe³⁺ cations in three nonequivalent positions characteristic of various oxy and hydroxy sulfates and oxide and sulfate groups as anions. Calcination at 600°C led to the almost complete removal of sulfate groups; as a result, the formation of an oxide structure came into play, and it was completed by the production of finely dispersed iron oxide in the ?-Fe₂O₃ modification (the average particle size of 3.2 nm) after treatment at 900°C. As the calcination temperature was increased from 500 to 700°C, an increase in the catalyst activity in hydrogen sulfide selective oxidation was observed because of a change in the state of the active component. A comparative study of the samples by temperature-programmed sulfidation made it possible to establish that an increase in the calcination temperature leads to an increase in the stability of the iron-containing catalysts to the action of a reaction atmosphere.     

Role of α-Sites in the selective catalytic reduction of NO x with ammonia over Fe-ZSM-5 catalysts

The catalytic properties of Fe-ZSM-5 zeolites with different iron contents have been investigated in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO _x with ammonia. The observed catalytic properties the zeolites are correlated with the concentration of the iron-containing sites that are stabilized in the zeolite and effect N₂O decomposition (??-sites). The catalysts activated at a high temperature to increase the ??-site concentration (by a factor of 5?C10) are more active in NO _x SCR with ammonia than the unactivated samples. However, the difference between the activities of the activated and unactivated catalysts is well below the difference between the ??-site concentrations in these catalysts. The nonlinear relationship between these parameters is evidence that the ??-sites in Fe-ZSM-5 is not the only factor determining the activity of Fe-ZSM-5 in NO _x SCR with ammonia. The activated catalysts show a low activity in nonselective ammonia oxidation and, accordingly, a high selectivity in the target process at high temperatures.     

Readily Accessible Bulky Iron Catalysts exhibiting Site Selectivity in the Oxidation of Steroidal Substrates

Bulky iron complexes are described that catalyze the site‐selective oxidation of alkyl C?H bonds with hydrogen peroxide under mild conditions. Steric bulk at the iron center is introduced by appending trialkylsilyl groups at the meta‐position of the pyridines in tetradentate aminopyridine ligands, and this effect translates into high product yields, an enhanced preferential oxidation of secondary over tertiary C?H bonds, and the ability to perform site‐selective oxidation of methylenic sites in terpenoid and steroidal substrates. Unprecedented site selective oxidation at C6 and C12 methylenic sites in steroidal substrates is shown to be governed by the chirality of the catalysts.     

Platinum-Iron(II) Oxide Sites Directly Responsible for Preferential Carbon Monoxide Oxidation at Ambient Temperature: An Operando X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study**

Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy identified that the concentration of Fe²⁺ species in the working state-of-the-art Pt−FeO_x catalysts quantitatively correlates to their preferential carbon monoxide oxidation steady-state reaction rate at ambient temperature. Deactivation of such catalysts with time on stream originates from irreversible oxidation of active Fe²⁺ sites. The active Fe²⁺ species are presumably Fe⁺²O⁻² clusters in contact with platinum nanoparticles; they coexist with spectator trivalent oxidic iron (Fe³⁺) and metallic iron (Fe⁰) partially alloyed with platinum. The concentration of active sites and, therefore, the catalyst activity strongly depends on the pretreatment conditions. Fe²⁺ is the resting state of the active sites in the preferential carbon monoxide oxidation cycle.     

Catalytic Oxidation of Methane by Nitrous Oxide on H[Al]ZSM-5 Zeolite, Silicalite, and Amorphous SiO2 Modified by Iron, Silver, and Gadolinium Ions

Methane oxidation by an excess of N₂O on the catalytic sites formed in HZSM-5 zeolite, silicalite, and SiO₂ after modification with iron, silver, and gadolinium cations in different combinations is studied. Introduction of iron and silver ions into H[Al]ZSM-5 zeolite is shown to result in the formation of the sites that are active in methane oxidation, while the systems obtained on the basis of crystalline silicalite or amorphous SiO₂ demonstrate poor or no catalytic activity, respectively. Complete oxidation of methane with 100% conversion is observed on the Fe/HZSM-5 and Ag/HZSM-5 catalysts at temperatures higher than 350 and 450°C, respectively. A decrease in the reaction temperature and in the methane conversion is accompanied by coking of the catalysts and, in the case of Fe/HZSM-5, by the appearance of trace amounts of methanol and formic acid in the gas phase. The temperature dependence of the activity and selectivity for the Ag/HZSM-5 and (Ag + Gd)/HZSM-5 catalysts exhibits a pronounced hysteresis at 330–480°C, and the formation of coke proceeds much faster than in the case of iron-containing samples. Catalytic properties of (Fe + Ag)/HZSM-5 are similar to those of Fe/HZSM-5. The introduction of Gd does not influence significantly the activity and selectivity of the catalysts. ESR and TG–DTA were used to determine the state and distribution of Fe, Ag, and Gd in the samples and to examine the processes of coke formation.     

Peculiarities of Catalytic Oxidation of Ethane by Nitrous Oxide on ZSM-5 Type Zeolites Containing Iron Ions in Different Localization Sites

The temperature dependence of the Fe-HZSM-5 activity and selectivity in the process of catalytic oxidation of ethane by the excess of N₂O at 250–350°C exhibits a pronounced hysteresis. The oxidized catalysts free from condensation products are active only in the complete oxidation of ethane. At low temperatures of the reaction of the C₂H₆ + N₂O mixture with the catalyst, coke formation takes place and the coordination state of iron ions differs from the initial sample. Under these conditions, the process of complete oxidation of ethane is essentially suppressed and the process of oxidative dehydrogenation dominates. The catalytic properties of iron-containing zeolites prepared either by direct synthesis or by introduction of iron ions into the cationic positions of H[Al]ZSM-5 are quite similar, because irreversible formation of new iron species considerably different from the initial species takes place during the catalytic reaction on both series of samples. The activity of HZSM-5 containing trace amounts of iron is much lower than that of iron-containing samples.     

Interferences in uranium oxidation states during dissolution of solid phases

The effects of iron on uranium oxidation states during sample dissolution were studied. A mineral acid mixture in anaerobic conditions was used for the dissolution the sample and the uranium oxidation states were determined by ion exchange. The first experiments were performed with pure iron chloride compounds. In the second stage, study was made of common iron-containing minerals. Uranium oxidation states were affected when the content of iron compound was as low as 10^-5M. In the case of the natural minerals, pyrite caused uranium to change to an increasingly reduced state, whereas goethite caused it to change to an increasingly oxidized state as the amount of mineral was increased. The interferences of the silicates fell between those of pyrite and goethite. The results indicate that a wide range of common bulk rocks with less than 20 wt% of iron-containing minerals can be reliable chemically analyzed for uranium oxidation state.     

A study on the reduction behavior of silica supported iron and platinum-iron catalysts

The reduction behavior of silica supported iron and platinum-iron catalysts were studied by combinedin situ temperature programmed reduction (TPR)-M?ssbauer Spectroscopy (MBS). The results indicated that the TPR profiles of the supported Fe catalysts were different from that of bulk α-Fe₂O₃. There existed an interaction between the Pt and Fe metals and the SiO₂ support for the Pt−Fe/SiO₂ catalyst. On the supported iron-containing catalysts, the Fe³⁺ species were highly dispersed on the SiO₂ supported before reduction. No Fe⁰ and Fe²⁺ in octahedral vacancy were found in the reduction of SiO₂ supported iron-containing catalysts. Addition of Pt to the Fe/SiO₂ catalyst could promote the reduction of the iron species.     

高分散隔离活性位催化剂中过渡金属离子结构对丙烷选择氧化反应性能的影响

考察了碱金属K修饰的SiO2负载极低含量过渡金属的高分散隔离活性位系列催化剂(K-M/SiO2(n(K)∶n(M)∶n(Si)=10∶1∶1000),M=V,Cr,Mn,Fe,Co,Ni,Cu,Zn)的丙烷选择氧化催化性能,并运用UV-Raman和CO2-TPD等方法,对该系列催化剂进行了结构和物化性能表征,探讨了催化剂的表面离子结构与催化反应性能之间的关系。 发现钾修饰的SiO2负载过渡金属高分散隔离活性位催化剂上过渡金属离子的组态结构,对丙烷选择氧化反应性能有重要影响。相对稳定的全充满或无d电子的表面离子结构有利于选择氧化反应进行,而存在多种价态的相对不稳定的离子结构有利于深度氧化的进行。 这一离子结构与丙烷选择氧化催化性能的关系与前期乙烷选择氧化规律相似,进一步说明在高分散隔离活性位催化剂中,过渡金属离子的电子组态结构是影响低碳烷烃选择氧化反应性能的最重要因素。     

Heterogeneous liquid phase oxidation of ethylbenzene to acetophenone with graphene carbon-based catalyst

The series of graphene materials and N-doped graphene materials were successfully synthesized and improved by high-temperature treatment with trace iron oxide. XRD, Raman, FT-IR, TEM and XPS were employed for these catalysts. The catalytic performance of these catalysts was investigated in the selective oxidation of ethylbenzene with tert-butyl hydroperoxide as oxidant. The impacts of temperature, mass of catalysts, reaction time and oxidants on the selective oxidation of ethylbenzene were also investigated. The N-doped graphene materials exhibit greatly remarkable catalytic performance than others. The conversion of ethylbenzene is more than 90% and the selectivity of acetophenone is more than 95% at 353 K. Graphene can be used as catalyst owing to its unique structures and chemical properties. The characterization tests show that the doping of N atoms can create more defects and more active sites in the N-doped graphene materials which could greatly improve the catalytic performance. Furthermore, such cost-effective graphene-based catalysts possess good stability and could be reused at least five times without remarkable loss of the catalytic activity.     

Carbon-Nanotube-Appended PAMAM Dendrimers Bearing Iron(II) α-Keto Acid Complexes: Catalytic Non-Heme Oxygenase Models

Poly(amidoamine) dendrimers grafted on carbon nanotubes have been appended with iron(II)-α-keto acid (benzoylformate) complex of polypyridyl ligand to design artificial non-heme oxygenase model. This nano-enzyme was applied for selective catalytic oxidation of organic molecules. Although the carbon nanotubes serve as a robust heterogeneous platform, the amine terminals of dendrimers provide catalysts binding sites and the amide bonds provide a necessary second coordination sphere similar to the enzymatic polypeptide chains. Such a hybrid design prevented the deactivation of the primary active sites leading to 8 times faster oxidative decarboxylation rates than those of its homogeneous analogue. An electrophilic iron(IV)-oxo intermediate has been intercepted, which catalyzes the selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and incorporates single oxygen atoms into sulfides and olefins by using aerial oxygen with multiple turnover numbers. The catalyst was consecutively regenerated three times by mild chemical treatment and showed negligible loss of activity.     

Designing a dimeric phthalocyanine-supported catalyst for the selective oxidation of aromatic compounds

The synthesis of new modified phthalocyanine-supported catalysts has been designed in order to stabilise more active and selective dimeric form by the covalent link of two phthalocyanine molecules through N,N′-diethyl-1,3-propanediamine spacer. The catalytic performance of these modified supported catalysts was tested for the aromatic oxidation of 2,3,6-trimethylphenol (TMP), naphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene (2MN) and 2,3-dimethylnaphthalene and compared with that of iron phthalocyanine-supported catalysts having SO₃H, SO₂OSiPh₃ and SO₂NⁱPr₂ substituents on the grafted phthalocyanine. Diamine modified catalyst was more active and selective in the oxidation of the above substrates to corresponding quinones. Trimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone (precursor of vitamin E) was obtained with 84 % yield at 96 % conversion of TMP. More demanding oxidation of 2MN afforded 34 % yield of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (vitamin K₃).     

Maximizing the Number of Interfacial Sites in Single‐Atom Catalysts for the Highly Selective,Solvent‐Free Oxidation of Primary Alcohols

The solvent‐free selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes with molecular oxygen is highly attractive yet challenging. Interfacial sites between a metal and an oxide support are crucial in determining the activity and selectivity of such heterogeneous catalysts. Herein, we demonstrate that the use of supported single‐atom catalysts (SACs) leads to high activity and selectivity in this reaction. The significantly increased number of interfacial sites, resulting from the presence of individually dispersed metal atoms on the support, renders SACs one or two orders of magnitude more active than the corresponding nanoparticle (NP) catalysts. Lattice oxygen atoms activated at interfacial sites were found to be more selective than O₂ activated on metal NPs in oxidizing the alcohol substrate. This work demonstrates for the first time that the number of interfacial sites is maximized in SACs, providing a new avenue for improving catalytic performance by developing appropriate SACs for alcohol oxidation and other reactions occurring at metal–support interfacial sites.     

Maximizing the Number of Interfacial Sites in Single‐Atom Catalysts for the Highly Selective,Solvent‐Free Oxidation of Primary Alcohols

The solvent‐free selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes with molecular oxygen is highly attractive yet challenging. Interfacial sites between a metal and an oxide support are crucial in determining the activity and selectivity of such heterogeneous catalysts. Herein, we demonstrate that the use of supported single‐atom catalysts (SACs) leads to high activity and selectivity in this reaction. The significantly increased number of interfacial sites, resulting from the presence of individually dispersed metal atoms on the support, renders SACs one or two orders of magnitude more active than the corresponding nanoparticle (NP) catalysts. Lattice oxygen atoms activated at interfacial sites were found to be more selective than O₂ activated on metal NPs in oxidizing the alcohol substrate. This work demonstrates for the first time that the number of interfacial sites is maximized in SACs, providing a new avenue for improving catalytic performance by developing appropriate SACs for alcohol oxidation and other reactions occurring at metal–support interfacial sites.     

Cement-containing catalysts of ozone decomposition based on iron oxides

Cement-containing catalysts of ozone decomposition were synthesized on the basis of iron oxides obtained by ozonation of iron-containing aqueous solutions. X-ray diffraction analysis and Mössbauer spectroscopy showed that α-Fe₂O₃ occurs in the catalyst as highly dispersed nanoparticles. The catalysts obtained are efficient in the reaction of ozone decomposition and are as active as the best representatives of cement-containing catalysts of the GTT type.     

Catalytic properties of Fe/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>–Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> systems,obtained via sol–gel method

The high efficacy of iron-containing catalysts based on SiO₂–Al₂O₃ systems obtained via sol–gel method in the oxidative destruction of carmoisine azo dye in aqueous solutions is demonstrated. It is found that the stability of the catalysts with respect to the leaching of iron ions into a solution during catalysis grows along with the aluminum content in the composition of aluminosilicate supports. It is concluded that the synthesized catalysts are promising materials for purifying wastewaters contaminated with organic dyes.     

以一氧化二氮或氧气为氧化剂的丙烯环氧化催化反应

丙烯环氧化制环氧丙烷是催化领域的最关键的挑战之一. 本文对作者等近年来开展的以一氧化二氮为氧化剂的铁催化体系和以氧气为氧化剂的铜催化体系的研究进展进行了综述. 在这两类催化体系中,碱金属离子(特别是K )的修饰作用均是获得较高环氧丙烷选择性的关键. 碱金属离子通过调变催化剂中铁或铜物种的分散度、配位环境和酸碱性等,实现了对反应途径的调控,使反应朝着有利于环氧丙烷生成的方向进行. 活性金属组分(铁或铜)与氧化剂(一氧化二氮或氧气)间的特定的组合对丙烯环氧化反应的发生也起着重要作用. 推测在两类催化体系中,氧化剂均在具有特定结构和价态的铁或铜活性位上活化,产生导致丙烯环氧化反应发生的亲电性活性氧物种.     

Fast and Simple Preparation of Iron‐Based Thin Films as Highly Efficient Water‐Oxidation Catalysts in Neutral Aqueous Solution

Water oxidation is the key step in natural and artificial photosynthesis for solar‐energy conversion. As this process is thermodynamically unfavorable and is challenging from a kinetic point of view, the development of highly efficient catalysts with low energy cost is a subject of fundamental significance. Herein, we report on iron‐based films as highly efficient water‐oxidation catalysts. The films can be quickly deposited onto electrodes from Fe^II ions in acetate buffer at pH 7.0 by simple cyclic voltammetry. The extremely low iron loading on the electrodes is critical for improved atom efficiency for catalysis. Our results showed that this film could catalyze water oxidation in neutral phosphate solution with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 756 h^?1 at an applied overpotential of 530 mV. The significance of this approach includes the use of earth‐abundant iron, the fast and simple method for catalyst preparation, the low catalyst loading, and the large TOF for O₂ evolution in neutral aqueous media.