Simple Preparation and Application of TEMPO‐Coated Fe3O4 Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles for Selective Oxidation of Alcohols

The organic oxidant TEMPO (2,2,4,4‐tetramethylpiperdine‐1‐oxyl) was immobilized on iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) superparamagnetic nanoparticles by employing strong metal‐oxide chelating phosphonates and azide/alkyne “click” chemistry. This simple preparation yields recyclable TEMPO‐coated nanoparticles with good TEMPO loadings. They have excellent magnetic response and efficiently catalyze the oxidation of a wide range of primary and secondary alcohols to aldehydes, ketones, and lactones under either aerobic acidic Mn^II/Cu^II oxidizing Minisci conditions, or basic NaOCl Anelli conditions. The nanoparticles could be recycled more than 20 times under the Minisci conditions and up to eight times under the Anelli conditions with good to excellent substrate conversions and product selectivities. Immobilization of the catalyst through a phosphonate linkage allows the particles to withstand acidic oxidizing environments with minimal catalyst leaching. Clicking TEMPO to the phosphonate prior to phosphonate immobilization, rather than after, ensures the clicked catalyst is the only species on the particle surface. This facilitates quantification of the catalyst loading. The stability of the phosphonate linker and simplicity of this catalyst immobilization method make this an attractive approach for tethering catalysts to oxide supports, creating magnetically separable catalysts that can be used under neutral or acidic conditions.     

Palladium Nanoparticles Immobilized on Individual Calcium Carbonate Plates Derived from Mussel Shell Waste: An Ecofriendly Catalyst for the Copper‐Free Sonogashira Coupling Reaction

The conversion of waste into high‐value materials is considered an important sustainability strategy in modern chemical industries. A large volume of shell waste is generated globally from mussel cultivation. In this work, mussel shell waste (Perna viridis ) is transformed into individual calcium carbonate plates (ICCPs) and is applied as a support for a heterogeneous catalyst. Palladium nanoparticles (3–6 nm) are deposited with an even dispersion on the ICCP surface, as demonstrated by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Using this system, Sonogashira cross‐coupling reactions between aryl iodides and terminal acetylenes were accomplished in high yields with the use of 1 % Pd/ICCP in the presence of potassium carbonate without the use of any copper metal or external ligand. The Pd/ICCP catalyst could also be reused up to three times and activity over 90 % was maintained with negligible Pd‐metal leaching. This work demonstrates that mussel shell waste can be used as an inexpensive and effective support for metal catalysts in coupling reactions, as demonstrated by the successful performance of the Pd‐catalyzed, copper‐free Sonogashira cross‐coupling process.     

有序介孔二氧化硅-碳纳米管复合材料载Pt 及其电催化性能

以十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)为结构导向剂, 正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)为硅源, 通过添加碳纳米管(CNTs), 制备介孔二氧化硅包覆碳纳米管网状结构的复合材料(C/Si). X 射线衍射(XRD)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)显示, 介孔二氧化硅的孔道结构高度有序, CNTs 均匀分散于二氧化硅刚性骨架中. 以其为载体微波负载制备了Pt-C/Si-x 纳米粒子催化剂,研究了催化剂在硫酸和甲醇溶液中电催化性能, 结果表明, 具有较高导电性能的复合材料保持了二氧化硅的均匀的孔道结构有利于电解液存储和质子传输, 使得该催化剂显示了良好的电催化活性. 其中碳纳米管添加含量为40 mg 时,催化剂在H₂SO₄ 电解液中的电化学活性面积高达120.9 m²·g^-1, 远大于Pt/CNTs 的电化学活性面积, 对甲醇的催化峰电流也达80.3 mA·cm^-2. 预示其作为直接甲醇燃料电池催化剂载体具有良好的应用前景.     

Facile Fabrication of Well‐Dispersed Pt Nanoparticles in Mesoporous Silica with Large Open Spaces and Their Catalytic Applications

In this paper, a facile strategy is reported for the preparation of well‐dispersed Pt nanoparticles in ordered mesoporous silica (Pt@OMS) by using a hybrid mesoporous phenolic resin‐silica nanocomposite as the parent material. The phenolic resin polymer is proposed herein to be the key in preventing the aggregation of Pt nanoparticles during their formation process and making contributions both to enhance the surface area and enlarge the pore size of the support. The Pt@OMS proves to be a highly active and stable catalyst for both gas‐phase oxidation of CO and liquid‐phase hydrogenation of 4‐nitrophenol. This work might open new avenues for the preparation of noble metal nanoparticles in mesoporous silica with unique structures for catalytic applications.     

Pt/ZrO2:An Efficient Catalyst for Aerobic Oxidation of Toluene in Aqueous Solution

The heterogeneous oxidation of toluene in aqueous medium has been investigated. Artificially contaminated water with aromatic compound (toluene) was exposed to a simple platinized zirconia (1% Pt/ZrO₂) catalyst in the presence of molecular oxygen. This selective oxidation of toluene to benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde and benzoic acid provides a step for removing toluene from wastewater or converting it into less harmful substances. Different parameters, e.g. the reaction time, temperature, pressure, the amount of catalyst and agitation, etc influenced the toluene conversion and selectivity. Typical batch reactor kinetic data were obtained and fitted to the classical Langmuir‐Hinshelwood model, Mars‐van Krevelen model as well as to the Eley‐Rideal model of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions. The Eley‐Rideal model was found to give a better fit. 1% Pt/ZrO₂ was observed to be the most active for oxidation of toluene at 333 K in oxygenated atmosphere [p(O₂) ca. 101 kPa] with a nominal stirring speed ≧900 r/min. It was found that catalytic oxidation may be an effective method for the removal of volatile organic compounds from aqueous solutions and comparable to other advanced oxidation processes.     

Versatile Oxidation Methods for Organic and Inorganic Substrates Catalyzed by Platinum‐Group Metals on Carbons

Platinum‐group metals on activated carbon catalysts, represented by Pd/C, Ru/C, Rh/C, etc., are widely utilized to accomplish green and sustainable organic reactions due to their favorable features, such as easy handling, recoverability, and reusability. The efficient oxidation methods of various organic compounds using heterogeneous platinum‐group metals on carbons with or without added oxidants are summarized in this Personal Account. The oxidation of internal alkynes into diketones was effectively catalyzed by Pd/C in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide and molecular oxygen or pyridine N‐oxide. The Pd/C‐catalyzed mild combustion of gaseous hydrogen with molecular oxygen provided hydrogen peroxide, which could be directly utilized for the oxidation of sulfide derivatives into sulfoxides. Furthermore, the Ru/C‐catalyzed aerobic oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols gave the corresponding aldehydes and ketones, respectively. On the other hand, the dehydrogenative oxidation of secondary alcohols into ketones was achieved using Rh/C in water, and primary alcohols were effectively dehydrogenated by Pd/C in water under mildly reduced pressure to produce carboxylic acids.

     

Highly Active Supported Pt Nanocatalysts Synthesized by Alcohol Reduction towards Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde: Synergy of Metal Valence and Hydroxyl Groups

The hydrogenation of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes to allylic alcohols or saturated aldehydes provides a typical example to study the catalytic effect on structure‐sensitive reactions. In this work, supported platinum nanocatalysts over hydrotalcite were synthesized by an alcohol reduction method. The Pt catalyst prepared by the reduction with a polyol (ethylene glycol) outperforms those prepared with ethanol and methanol in the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde. The selectivity towards the C=O bond is the highest over the former, although its mean size of Pt particles is the smallest. The hydroxyl groups on hydrotalcite could act as an internally accessible promoter to enhance the selectivity towards the C=O bond. The optimal Pt catalyst showed a high activity with an initial turnover frequency (TOF) of 2.314 s^?1. This work unveils the synergic effect of metal valence and in situ promoter on the chemoselective hydrogenation, which could open up a new direction in designing hydrogenation catalysts.     

Carbon monoxide oxidation on Pt/TiO2 sol-gel catalysts

Comparative results (specific area, metallic dispersion, and activity in the carbon monoxide oxidation) on sol-gel and impregnated Pt/TiO₂ catalysts are presented. In order to explain the important differences between the two preparations, among them high resistivity of sol-gel catalyst to sintering, the formation of anchored and/or partially buried particles into the support is proposed.     

Metal–Support Cooperative Catalysts for Environmentally Benign Molecular Transformations

Metal–support cooperative catalysts have been developed for sustainable and environmentally benign molecular transformations. The active metal centers and supports in these catalysts could cooperatively activate substrates, resulting in high catalytic performance for liquid‐phase reactions under mild conditions. These catalysts involved hydrotalcite‐supported gold and silver nanoparticles with high catalytic activity for organic reactions such as aerobic oxidation, oxidative carbonylation, and chemoselective reduction of epoxides to alkenes and nitrostyrenes to aminostyrenes using alcohols and CO/H₂O as reducing reagents. This high catalytic performance was due to cooperative catalysis between the metal nanoparticles and basic sites of the hydrotalcite support. To increase the metal–support cooperative effect, core–shell nanostructured catalysts consisting of gold or silver nanoparticles in the core and ceria supports in the shell were designed. These core–shell nanocomposite catalysts were effective for the chemoselective hydrogenation of nitrostyrenes to aminostyrenes, unsaturated aldehydes to allyl alcohols, and alkynes to alkenes using H₂ as a clean reductant. In addition, these solid catalysts could be recovered easily from the reaction mixture by simple filtration, and were reusable with high catalytic activity.     

Heterogeneous Catalysis for Water Oxidation by an Iridium Complex Immobilized on Bipyridine‐Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica

Heterogenization of metal‐complex catalysts for water oxidation without loss of their catalytic activity is important for the development of devices simulating photosynthesis. In this study, efficient heterogeneous iridium complexes for water oxidation were prepared using bipyridine‐bridged periodic mesoporous organosilica (BPy‐PMO) as a solid chelating ligand. The BPy‐PMO‐based iridium catalysts (Ir‐BPy‐PMO) were prepared by postsynthetic metalation of BPy‐PMO and characterized through physicochemical analyses. The Ir‐BPy‐PMOs showed high catalytic activity for water oxidation. The turnover frequency (TOF) values for Ir‐BPy‐PMOs were one order of magnitude higher than those of conventional heterogeneous iridium catalysts. The reusability and stability of Ir‐BPy‐PMO were also examined, and detailed characterization was conducted using powder X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, ¹³C DD MAS NMR spectroscopy, TEM, and XAFS methods.