Concentration Dependent Catalytic Activity of Glutathione Coated Silver Nanoparticles for the Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol and Organic Dyes

In the present study, we have synthesized glutathione modified silver nanoparticles (GSH-AgNPs) in aqueous medium and are characterized by absorption, high resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM), selective area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern, dynamic light scattering (DLS), Zeta potential and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic measurements. Catalytic activity of GSH-AgNPs has been evaluated for the reduction reactions of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), methylene blue (MB dye) and eosin Y (EY dye) in presence of sodium borohydride including the effect of catalyst concentration on the catalytic activity. Furthermore, the rate constants of reduction reactions are determined, which are linearly enhanced upon increasing the concentrations of GSH-AgNPs. It is explored that reduction reactions such as 4-NP, organic dyes by NaBH₄ in the presence of catalyst follow a pseudo first order kinetics. The catalytic reduction of 4-NP and organic dyes proceed with a faster rate even in the presence of nanomolar concentration of catalyst.     

Gold nanoparticles decorated covalent organic polymer as a bimodal catalyst for total water splitting and nitro compound reduction

The design and construction of a bimodal catalyst with magnificent performance and high stability is a debatable one for total water splitting and nitro compound reduction. Herein, we report the synthesis of a covalent organic polymer network based on 1,4-phenylenediamine based covalent organic polymer (PD-COP) and its decoration with Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) as well as their confirmation using various analytical and surface techniques. The electrocatalytic activity toward total water-splitting reaction (OER and HER) in KOH solution (1.0 M) was investigated. In addition, the reduction of aromatic nitro compounds (4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and 2-nitroaniline (2-NA)) was carried out in the presence of NaBH₄. Among the different electrocatalysts (PD-COP, Au@PD-COP-I, Au@PD-COP-II, Au@PD-COP-III and Au@PD-COP-IV) studied in this work, the Au@PD-COP-II demands a low overpotential of 288 mV and 184 mV to attain a 50-mA/cm² geometrical current density with a lowest Tafel slope value of 56 and 85 mV/dec for OER and HER respectively. From the OER and HER phenomenal activity, a two-electrode system was constructed, and it needs a cell voltage of 1.615 V to conquer a current density of 10 mA/cm² with outstanding stability for 34 h. The high electroactivity of Au@PD-COP-II may be allied with the presence of innumerable redox-active sites and high electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) towards effective water electrolysis. Further, the catalytic activity performed towards the reduction of 4-NP to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) and 2-NA to o-PDA (o-phenylenediamine), Au@PD-COP-II showed good catalytic activity with a reduction time of 20 and 14 min respectively.     

Palladium nanoclusters entrapped in polyurea: A recyclable and efficient catalyst for reduction of nitro-benzenes and hydrodechlorination of halogeno-benzenes

Polyurea-entrapped palladium nanoclusters have been prepared by interfacial polymerization in W/O emulsion and showed high thermal stability and chemical stability with the content of 0.12 mmol g^?1 Pd. This catalyst exhibited dual catalytic activity for reduction of nitro compounds and hydrodehalogenation of aromatic chlorides in atmospheric hydrogen with 100% yield for reduction of nitro compounds and >99% yield for hydrodehalogenation of aromatic chlorides. This immobilizing method was particularly effective and eliminated the need of special chelating groups.     

Catalytic and peroxidase-like activity of carbon based-AuPd bimetallic nanocomposite produced using carbon dots as the reductant

In this report, carbon-based AuPd bimetallic nanocomposite (AuPd/C NC) was synthesized using carbon dots (C-dots) as the reducing agent and stabilizer by a simple green sequential reduction strategy, without adding other agents. The as synthesized AuPd/C NC showed good catalytic activity and peroxidase-like property. The structure and morphology of these nanoparticles were clearly characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The AuPd/C NC catalyst exhibits noticeably higher catalytic activity than Pd and Au nanoparticles in catalysis reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). Moreover, based on the high peroxidase-like property of AuPd/C NC, a new colorimetric detection method for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) has been designed using 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-benzidine (TMB) as the substrate, which provides a simple and sensitive means to detect H₂O₂ in wide linear range of 5 μM–500 μM and 500 μM–4 mM with low detection limit of 1.6 μM (S/N = 3). Therefore, the facile synthesis strategy for bimetallic nanoparticles by the mild reductant of carbon dot will provide some new thoughts for preparing of carbon-based metal nanomaterials and expand their application in catalysis and analytical chemistry areas.     

High catalytic activity of a new Ag phosphorus ylide complex supported on montmorillonite: synthesis,characterization, and application for room temperature nitro reduction

In this work, the phosphorus ylide, [PPh₃CHC(O)CH₂Cl], was reacted with AgNO₃ to give the [Ag{C(H)PPh₃C(O)CH₂Cl}₂]⁺NO₃ ^? as the product. Then, it was supported on the modified montmorillonite nanoclay to prepare a new catalyst for the reduction reaction. The structure and morphology of the nanoclay catalyst were characterized by FT-IR, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and transmission electron microscopy techniques; also, the content of silver was obtained by inductively coupled plasma analyzer. This composition was exploited to study its catalytic activity in the reduction in aromatic nitro compounds; it displayed the high catalytic activity. Factors such as catalyst amount, solvent, temperature and reaction time were all systematically investigated to elucidate their effects on the yield of catalytic reduction in nitroarenes. This catalytic system exhibited high activity toward aromatic nitro compounds under mild conditions. The catalyst was reused five times without any significant loss in its catalytic activity.     

二茂铁功能化的金属有机大环模拟氢化酶光催化硝基还原

使用二茂铁构筑了2个新型金属有机大环：M_Cu和M_Fe。2个大环化合物有效猝灭了有机染料的荧光,并可触发光致电子转移。较低的还原电位导致M_Cu在光催化质子还原和硝基还原2个反应中表现出更好的催化性能。底物的大尺寸导致硝基还原过程的效率降低。用Michaelis-Menten机理对光催化体系进行了验证,揭示了底物与催化剂之间相互作用的重要性。     

二茂铁功能化的金属有机大环模拟氢化酶光催化硝基还原

使用二茂铁构筑了2个新型金属有机大环： M_Cu和M_Fe。2个大环化合物有效猝灭了有机染料的荧光,并可触发光致电子转移。较低的还原电位导致M_Cu在光催化质子还原和硝基还原2个反应中表现出更好的催化性能。底物的大尺寸导致硝基还原过程的效率降低。用Michaelis-Menten机理对光催化体系进行了验证,揭示了底物与催化剂之间相互作用的重要性。     

Synthesis,characterization, and application of monodisperse gelatin-stabilized silver nanospheres in reduction of aromatic nitro compounds

Monodisperse colloidal silver nanospheres were synthesized by the reaction of silver nitrate, hydroxylammonium hydrosulphate (NH₂OH)₂ · H₂SO₄ and sodium hydroxide in the presence of gelatin as stabilizer. Colloidal nanospheres were characterized by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and dynamic light scattering. X-ray diffraction data confirmed that the silver nanospheres were crystalline with face-centered-cubic structure. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the formation of homogeneously distributed silver nanoparticles of spherical morphology and size of the nanoparticles was in the range of 0.7–5.2 nm. Silver nanospheres were stable for more than two months when stored at ambient temperature. Size and size distribution were studied by varying pH, reaction temperature, silver ion concentration in feed solution, concentration of reducing agent and concentration of the stabilizing agent. Catalytic activity of silver nanospheres was tested for the reduction reaction of nitro compounds in sodium borohydride solution. Monodisperse silver nanospheres showed excellent catalytic activity towards the reduction of aromatic nitro compounds. The reduction rate of aromatic nitro compounds had been observed to follow the sequence 4-nitrophenol > 2-nitrophenol > 3-nitrophenol.     

Switching from linear to cyclic δ‐Polyvalerolactone synthesized via zeolitic imidazolate framework as a catalyst: A promising approach

A series of spray dried zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs = ZIF‐8, ZIF‐67, and Zn/Co‐ZIF) are used as a catalyst for the bulk ring‐opening polymerization of δ‐valerolactone without any co‐catalyst to generate polyvalerolactone. Interestingly, using the same catalyst under the same reaction conditions could manipulate the structure of the product polymer, and thus its physical properties. Thus, using a dried substrate leads to the formation of the cyclic polymer while a linear polymer was formed on using the commercially available substrate. An activated monomer mechanism has been suggested where the propagating zinc alkoxide undergoes an intramolecular transesterification to release cyclic or linear polyvalerolactone. The ROP of δ‐VL without drying shows that the polymeric zwitterions have little tendency to cyclize in the presence of moisture. At 140 °C, ZIF‐8 shows a superior catalytic activity resulting in the production of cyclic polyvalerolactone having a high molecular weight as compared to ZIF‐67 or Zn/Co‐ZIF due to the presence of highly active sites. The catalyst could be recycled and reused without any significant loss of catalytic activity.     

Solvent-free synthesis of propargylamines via A3 coupling reaction and organic pollutant degradation in aqueous condition using Cu/C catalyst

The present report focuses on the efficient and operationally simple synthesis of biomass-derived carbon as support to immobilize copper particles as a catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of propargylamines from furfural via the A³ coupling reaction. This new catalyst showed remarkable catalytic performance leading to a 97% yield within 5 h at 80 °C using 5 mg (0.0022 mmol Cu) of Cu/C catalyst under solvent-free condition. Moreover, nitro-substituted compounds such as 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) are highly toxic and not easily degradable. Hence, a quick and effective method is required to neutralize these toxic compounds. The synthesized active support Cu/C catalyst having various electron-donating groups containing small amounts of Cu plays an essential role in the catalytic reduction of 4-NP (0.1 g). Using only 3 mg (0.0013 mmol Cu) of Cu/C catalyst and NaBH₄ (10 mmol), a 99% yield (100% selectivity) in the aqueous condition at 25 °C was achieved. The catalytic reduction follows the pseudo-first-order kinetics with reaction rate constant of 0.028 s⁻¹. Moreover, results demonstrate that the Cu/C catalyst has superior catalytic activity due to the presence of electron-donating molecules such as O, S, and N atoms, which enable synergistic effect in enhancing the overall catalytic performance. Notably, the recoverability and recyclability of the synthesized catalyst were evaluated for up to four cycles, which confirmed its stability in these cycles.     

Synthesis of Nanoporous Carbon–Cobalt‐Oxide Hybrid Electrocatalysts by Thermal Conversion of Metal–Organic Frameworks

Nanoporous carbon–cobalt‐oxide hybrid materials are prepared by a simple, two‐step, thermal conversion of a cobalt‐based metal–organic framework (zeolitic imidazolate framework‐9, ZIF‐9). ZIF‐9 is carbonized in an inert atmosphere to form nanoporous carbon–metallic‐cobalt materials, followed by the subsequent thermal oxidation in air, yielding nanoporous carbon–cobalt‐oxide hybrids. The resulting hybrid materials are evaluated as electrocatalysts for the oxygen‐reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen‐evolution reaction (OER) in a KOH electrolyte solution. The hybrid materials exhibit similar catalytic activity in the ORR to the benchmark, commercial, Pt/carbon black catalyst, and show better catalytic activity for the OER than the Pt‐based catalyst.     

Catalytic systems for reduction of nitro compounds involving cerium complexes with organic ligands

Conclusions Effective catalytic systems were developed for the reduction of aromatic nitro compounds, which consist of a heterogeneous palladium catalyst and cerium complexes with organic ligands.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp.1104–1107, May, 1979.     

Reactions of organic exhausts and the thermal stability of catalysts

The catalytic combustion of various organic compounds has been investigated over noble and non-noble metal catalysts using a fixed bed. It was concluded that the activity order of different organic compounds on a noble metal catalyst, is toluene > 2-butanone > benzene >n-heptane≈isopropyl alcohol > acrylonitrile > cyclohexane. On non-noble metal catalyst, it is isopropyl alcohol > 2-butanone > acrylonitrile > toluene >n-heptane > cyclohexane > benzene. In order to compare the thermal stability of catalysts, the catalytic reaction of toluene has been studied over noble and non-noble metal catalysts which were calcined at various temperatures up to 900°C for 3 h.     

Hydrogenation of p-Chloronitrobenzene on Nanosized Modified NiMoB Catalysts

NiMoB alloy catalyst has been reported to be a good catalyst for the hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene to p-chloroaniline. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of additives (Pd, La, Fe and Co) on the catalytic properties of NiMoB in the hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene. The catalysts were prepared by chemical reduction method using sodium borohydride as the reducing agent. The molar ratios of Ni/Mo/B/additives in the starting materials were 0.4/1/3/0.1. The catalysts were characterized by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The catalysts were tested for liquid-phase hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene at 1.2?MPa H₂ pressure and 333–353?K. Adding additives decreased the particle size of modified-NiMoB catalyst, suppressed the growth of the crystalline structure of NiMoB and helped the NiMoB nanocluster maintain its amorphous state. The reaction activity is in the order of the following: Pd-NiMoB?>?La-NiMoB?>?Co-NiMoB?>?NiMoB?>?Fe-NiMoB. Pd itself is the active metal for hydrogenation, but NiPd bimetallic alloy was too active resulting in low selectivity of chloroaniline. The other additives were in the form of hydroxide and acted as a spacer to prevent NiMoB catalysts from sintering and aggregation.     

Hydrodechlorination of chlorophenols over Pt- and Co-containing ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts

Summary Some of the chlorinated organic compounds are widely used commercially because of their advantageous chemical/physical properties or being toxic to pestiferous living substances. We have prepared and applied monometallic Co-, Pt- and bimetallic Co,Pt-ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts for hydrotreating 2- and 4-chlorophenols in the temperature range of 300-400 oC using a fixed-bed laboratory reactor system equipped with a gas chromatograph for analysis. In the reaction over the Pt-containing catalyst high initial conversion can be observed, the compounds transform to cyclohexanone, however, the activity of the catalyst decreases even during the 2 h reaction time. In the presence of Co-ZSM-5, the main reaction is simple hydrodechlorination resulting in phenol as the main product, and this catalyst is stable, and the activity does not change. The bimetallic catalyst combines the advantages (and disadvantages) of the monometallic samples. The hydroconversion of chlorophenols resulted in the formation of cyclohexanone with high initial selectivity. However, because of the relatively short catalyst lifetime further optimization is necessary before practical application.</o:p>     

Cancer‐Cell Imaging Using Copper‐Doped Zeolite Imidazole Framework‐8 Nanocrystals Exhibiting Oxidative Catalytic Activity

Copper‐doped zeolite imidazole framework‐8 (Cu/ZIF‐8) was prepared and its peroxidase‐like oxidative catalytic activity was examined with a demonstration of its applicability for cancer‐cell imaging. Through simple solution chemistry at room temperature, Cu/ZIF‐8 nanocrystals were produced that catalytically oxidized an organic substrate of o‐phenylenediamine in the presence of H₂O₂. In a similar manner to peroxidase, the Cu/ZIF‐8 nanocrystals oxidized the substrate through a ping‐pong mechanism with an activation energy of 59.2 kJ mol⁻¹. The doped Cu atoms functioned as active sites in which the active Cu intermediates were expected to be generated during the catalysis, whereas the undoped ZIF‐8 did not show any oxidative activity. Cu/ZIF‐8 nanocrystals exhibited low cell toxicity and displayed catalytic activity through interaction with H₂O₂ among various reactive oxygen species in a cancer cell. This oxidative activity in vitro allowed cancer‐cell imaging by exploiting the photoluminescence emitted from the oxidized product of o‐phenylenediamine, which was insignificant in the absence of the Cu/ZIF‐8 nanocrystals. The results of this study suggest that the Cu/ZIF‐8 nanocrystal is a promising catalyst for the analysis of the microbiological systems.     

ZIF-Induced d-Band Modification in a Bimetallic Nanocatalyst: Achieving Over 44 % Efficiency in the Ambient Nitrogen Reduction Reaction

The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) offers a sustainable solution towards ammonia production but suffers poor reaction performance owing to preferential catalyst–H formation and the consequential hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Now, the Pt/Au electrocatalyst d-band structure is electronically modified using zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF) to achieve a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of >44 % with high ammonia yield rate of >161 μg mg_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹ under ambient conditions. The strategy lowers electrocatalyst d-band position to weaken H adsorption and concurrently creates electron-deficient sites to kinetically drive NRR by promoting catalyst–N₂ interaction. The ZIF coating on the electrocatalyst doubles as a hydrophobic layer to suppress HER, further improving FE by >44-fold compared to without ZIF (ca. 1 %). The Pt/Au-N_ZIF interaction is key to enable strong N₂ adsorption over H atom.     

Mechanically fabricated Metal–organic framework/resin composite nanoparticles for efficient basic catalysis

Zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) was successfully composited with an anionic basic resin 201 × 7 (717‐resin) to provide a novel ZIF‐8/717‐resin composite. Its catalytic activity toward the Knoevenagel condensation reaction was evaluated. Results showed that ZIF‐8/717‐resin composite could efficiently catalyze this reaction, affording the corresponding products in good to excellent yields. Good functional group tolerance, mild reaction conditions, good stability and reusability of the catalyst are the major features of present protocol.     

Rapid,efficient and selective reduction of aromatic nitro compounds with hydrazine hydrate in the presence of the plain and supported platinum nanoparticles as catalysts

The current study aimed at application of the plain and supported platinum nanoparticles as a heterogenous catalyst for the reduction of aromatic nitro compounds. Monodispersed platinum nanoparticles were synthesized by reduction of H₂PtCl₆ by ethanol in the presence of polyvinyl pyrrolidone as a stabilizer, and then were immobilized on four types of zeolites. The obtained catalyst granules were characterized by X-ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy. The study then focused on elaboration of the catalytic activity of the nano catalysts under different operational conditions. It was found that reaction is adequately rapid at ambient temperature, and by utilizing a sufficient amount of catalyst, can be completed in nearly 30 min. Among the utilized zeolitic supports, zeolite 4A had the highest performance, but the mechanism of its synergetic effect on the activity of platinum nano catalyst was not found and requires more investigation.     

Hollow Zn−Co Based Zeolitic Imidazole Framework as a Robust Heterogeneous Catalyst for Enhanced CO2 Chemical Fixation

The efficient chemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into value‐added fine chemicals is an intriguing but challenging route in sustainable chemistry. Herein, a hollow‐structured bimetallic zeolitic imidazole framework composed of Zn and Co as metal centers (H‐ZnCo‐ZIF) has been successfully prepared via a post‐synthetic strategy based on controllable chemical‐etching of the preformed solid ZnCo‐ZIF in tannic acid. The creation of hollow cavities inside each monocrystalline ZIFs could be achieved without destroying the intrinsic frameworks, as characterized by field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X‐ray diffraction technologies. The as‐synthesized H‐ZnCo‐ZIF exhibited remarkable catalytic activity in the cycloaddition of CO₂ with epoxides to the corresponding cyclic carbonates, outperforming the solid ZnCo‐ZIF analogue due to the improved mass transfer originating from the hollow structure. More importantly, due to stabilization of metal centers in the ZIF framework by the tannic acid shell, H‐ZnCo‐ZIF exhibited good recyclability, and no activity loss could be observed in six runs. The present study provides a simple and effective strategy to enhance the catalytic performance of ZIFs by creating a hollow structure via chemical etching.