Readily accessible mesoporous silica nanoparticles supported chiral urea-amine bifunctional catalysts for enantioselective reactions

The main objective of this study is to develop readily accessible and recyclable solid catalysts for enantioselective reactions. To achieve this, magnetic MCM-41 and non-magnetic SBA-15 mesoporous supports were prepared, then mesoporous silica supported chiral urea-amine bifunctional catalysts were synthesized by grafting of chiral urea-amine ligand onto SBA-15 and magnetic MCM-41. The magnetic and non-magnetic supports and so-prepared solid catalysts were characterized by using different methods such as N₂ sorption measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (FESEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Results showed that (1R, 2R) or (1S, 2S)-1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diamine was successively immobilized onto magnetic MCM-41 and SBA-15 pores. The heterogeneous chiral solid catalysts and their homogenous counterparts exhibited high activities both enantioselective transfer hydrogenation reaction (up to 99% conversion and 65% ee) and enantioselective Michael reaction (up to 98% conversion and 26% ee). Moreover, the SBA-15 supported solid catalysts were separated from the reaction mixture by simple filtration, whereas the magnetic MCM-41 supported solid catalysts were separated by simple magnetic decantation and reused in three consecutive catalytic experiments.     

Promoting effect of polyoxyethylene octylphenol ether on Cu/ZnO catalysts for low-temperature methanol synthesis

Cu/ZnO catalysts were prepared by the co-precipitation method with the addition of OP-10 (polyoxyethylene octylphenol ether) and were chemically and structurally characterized by means of XRD, BET, H₂-TPR, CO-TPD and N₂O-titration. The effect of OP-10 addition on the activity of Cu/ZnO for the slurry phase methanol synthesis at 150 °C was evaluated. The results showed that Cu/ZnO prepared with addition of 8% OP-10 (denoted as C8) exhibited the promoted activity for the methanol synthesis. The conversion of CO and the STY (space time yield) of methanol were 42.5% and 74.6% higher than those of Cu/ZnO prepared without addition of OP-10 (denoted as C0), respectively. The precursor of C8 contained more aurichalcite and rosasite, and the concerted effect of Cu-Zn in C8 was found to be stronger than that in C0. Compared with C0, C8 showed smaller particle size, lower reduction temperature and larger BET and Cu surface areas.     

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis over cobalt catalysts supported on modified SiO2 with mesoporous silica

SiO₂ was modified by hexagonal mesoporous silica to form a mixture with meso-/macroporous sizes and used as support of Co catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in a slurry phase. A synergistic effect on the activity of Co catalyst was found. The catalytic properties are related to the state of surface Co and the character of support.     

Functionalization of mesoporous carbon with superbasic MgO nanoparticles for the efficient synthesis of sulfinamides

Highly basic MgO nanoparticles with different sizes have been successfully immobilized over mesoporous carbon with different pore diameters by a simple wet-impregnation method. The prepared catalysts have been characterized by various sophisticated techniques, such as XRD, nitrogen adsorption, electron energy loss spectroscopy, high-resolution TEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the temperature-programmed desorption of CO(2). XRD results reveal that the mesostructure of the support is retained even after the huge loading of MgO nanoparticles inside the mesochannels of the support. It is also demonstrated that the particle size and dispersion of the MgO nanoparticles on the support can be finely controlled by the simple adjustment of the textural parameters of the supports. Among the support materials studied, mesoporous carbon with the largest pore diameter and large pore volume offered highly crystalline small-size cubic-phase MgO nanoparticles with a high dispersion. The basicity of the MgO-supported mesoporous carbons can also be controlled by simply changing the loading of the MgO and the pore diameter of the support. These materials have been employed as heterogeneous catalysts for the first time in the selective synthesis of sulfinamides. Among the catalysts investigated, the support with the large pore diameter and high loading of MgO showed the highest activity with an excellent yield of sulfinamides. The catalyst also showed much higher activity than the pristine MgO nanoparticles. The effects of the reaction parameters, including the solvents and reaction temperature, and textural parameters of the supports in the activity of the catalyst have also been demonstrated. Most importantly, the catalyst was found to be highly stable, showing excellent activity even after the third cycle of reaction.     

Textural manipulation of mesoporous materials for hosting of metallic nanocatalysts

The preparation and stabilization of nanoparticles are becoming very crucial issues in the field of so-called "nanocatalysis". Recent developments in supramolecular self-assembled porous materials have opened a new way to get nanoparticles hosted in the channels of such materials. In this paper, a new approach towards monodisperse and thermally stable metal nanoparticles by confining them in ordered mesoporous materials is presented, and three aspects are illustrated. Firstly, the recent progress in the functional control of mesoporous materials will be briefly introduced, and the rational tuning of the textures, pore size, and pore length is demonstrated by controlling supramolecular self-assembly behavior. A novel synthesis of short-pore mesoporous materials is emphasized for their easy mass transfer in both biomolecule absorption and the facile assembly of metal nanocomposites within their pore channels. In the second part, the different routes for encapsulating monodisperse nanoparticles inside channels of porous materials are discussed, which mainly includes the ion-exchange/conventional incipient wetness impregnation, in situ encapsulation routes, organometallic methodologies, and surface functionalization schemes. A facile in situ autoreduction route is highlighted to get monodisperse metal nanoparticles with tunable sizes inside the channels of mesoporous silica. Finally, confinement of mesoporous materials is demonstrated to improve the thermal stability of monodisperse metal nanoparticles catalysts and a special emphasis will be focused on the stabilization of the metal nanoparticles with a low Tammann temperature. Several catalytic reactions concerning the catalysis of nanoparticles will be presented. These uniform nanochannels, which confine monodisperse and stable metal nanoparticles catalysts, are of great importance in the exploration of size-dependent catalytic chemistry and further understanding the nature of catalytic reactions.     

Heterogeneous oxidation of pyrimidine and alkyl thioethers in ionic liquids over mesoporous Ti or Ti/Ge catalysts

Heterogeneous catalytic oxidation of a series of thioethers (2-thiomethylpyrimidine, 2-thiomethyl-4,6-dimethyl-pyrimidine, 2-thiobenzylpyrimidine, 2-thiobenzyl-4,6-dimethylpyrimidine, thioanisole, and n-heptyl methyl sulfide) was performed in ionic liquids by using MCM-41 and UVM-type mesoporous catalysts containing Ti, or Ti and Ge. A range of triflate, tetrafluoroborate, trifluoroacetate, lactate and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide-based ionic liquids were used. The oxidations were carried out by using anhydrous hydrogen peroxide or the urea-hydrogen peroxide adduct and showed that ionic liquids are very effective solvents, achieving greater reactivity and selectivity than reactions performed in dioxane. The effects of halide and acid impurities on the reactions were also investigated. Recycling experiments on catalysts were carried out in order to evaluate Ti leaching and its effect on activity and selectivity.     

Cu/ZrO_2催化剂的结构及其CO_2加氢合成甲醇催化反应性能

采用低温氮气吸脱附、XRD、TPR、In-situ IR和XPS等表征手段,对分步沉淀法、浸渍沉淀法和固态反应法制备的CuO/ZrO2催化剂进行表征,同时考察了其CO2加氢合成甲醇反应性能。结果表明,制备方法对CuO/ZrO2的物理结构和还原性能影响很大,其中浸渍沉淀法制备的催化剂Cu与ZrO2相互作用最强,并显示了较高的CO2转化率和甲醇收率。Cu与ZrO相互作用的强弱直接影响CO加氢合成甲醇反应性能的优劣,而催化剂的比表面积不是影响反应性能的主导因素。     

Evolution of the Cu/ZnO methanol synthesis catalyst during its reduction and re-oxidation

Summary Cu K EXAFS studies of the structure of Cu-Zn oxide catalyst were performed for the as prepared samples, those after its activation by hydrogen and after its subsequent re-oxidation. It was found that during the primary formation of the CuZnO solid solution, the copper ions are dissolved in the extended stacking faults of the ZnO lattice as ultra-small oxide clusters. Activation by hydrogen at 473 K leads to the reduction of most copper cations to Cu⁰with the formation of nanoparticles with the characteristic size of ca. 1.6 nm. The copper metal particles were re-oxidized to Cu²⁺at 523 K in<span lang=EN-US style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>ahelium flow containing 0.05 vol. % oxygen. The re-oxidized cations do not form a CuO phase. Instead, they return to the extended stacking faults of ZnO. However, this time they form stripe-like clusters of square-planar coordinated copper cations.     

Photochemical Synthesis and Spectral-Optical Characteristics of ZnO/Cu and ZnO/Ag/Cu Nanoheterostructures

The photoreduction of Cu²⁺ at the surface of ZnO nanoparticles and ZnO/Ag nanostructures was investigated. The spectral characteristics of the obtained ZnO/Cu and ZnO/Ag/Cu composites were studied in relation to the reaction conditions. It was shown that the ZnO/Ag nanoparticles have higher photocatalytic activity in the reduction of Cu²⁺ ions than the individual ZnO particles.     

Molecular structure-activity relationships for the oxidation of organic compounds using mesoporous silica catalysts derivatised with bis(halogeno)dioxomolybdenum(VI) complexes

Mo K-edge XAFS spectra have been measured for ordered mesoporous silica MCM-41 grafted with the complexes [MoO2X2(thf)2] (X=Cl, Br). For grafting reactions in the absence of triethylamine, materials with 1 wt. % Mo are obtained; the Mo K-edge EXAFS results indicate the co-existence of isolated surface-fixed monomeric species [MoO2[(-O)3SiO]2(thf)(n)] and [MoO2[(-O)3SiO]X(thf)(n)]. When Et3N is used in the grafting reactions, materials with 4 wt. % Mo are obtained. The EXAFS data for the material prepared using [MoO2Cl2(thf)2] and Et3N indicate the presence of dinuclear species with two Mo(VI) centres, each with two Mo=O groups and each linked by one or two oxo bridges (Mo...Mo 3.27 A). The molybdenum centres in the material prepared using the dibromo complex comprise mainly isolated four-coordinate dioxomolybdenum(VI) and trioxomolybdenum(VI) monomeric species, with a small contribution from dimeric species. All materials were further characterised in the solid state by powder X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption analysis, MAS NMR (13C, 29Si) and FTIR spectroscopy. The derivatised MCMs perform differently as catalysts in the liquid-phase oxidation of various olefins and alcohols with tert-butyl hydroperoxide. The highest alkene epoxidation activity was recorded for the catalysts with low metal loading, whereas the material containing oxo-bridged dimers had the highest activity for oxidation of alcohols. The recyclability of all the catalysts was tested: the catalytic activity of the derivatised materials tended to stabilize with ageing.