Platinum and rhodium in a polluted environment: studying the emissions of automobile catalysts with emphasis on the application of CSV rhodium analysis

An analytical approach is presented that utilizes CSV (cathodic stripping voltammetry) determination of Pt and Rh in polluted common grass, successfully discriminating trends in the imission situation. A sampling strategy was developed leading to clear spatial trends. It is shown that additional detection of Rh helps to confirm accuracy even of peak Pt concentrations. Applicability and reliability of CSV Rh (and Pt) detection is proven during comparative measurements in other laboratories. Independent instrumental methods (ICP-MS, docimasy) confirmed CSV results, particularly in the case of Rh. In 1997, concentrations of Pt and Rh in grass samples were found to be 2.7 times higher than in 1994, and in dust samples 3.9 times higher than in 1994, respectively. Percentage of cars equipped with catalytic converters, on the other hand, was 2.4 times higher in 1997 compared with 1994. Some of the first rhodium concentrations in environmental samples are reported.     

Dynamical analysis of a chemostat model with delayed response in growth and pulse input in polluted environment

In this paper, a chemostat model with delayed response in growth and pulse input in polluted environment is considered. Using the discrete dynamical system determined by the stroboscopic map, we obtain a microorganism-extinction periodic solution. Further, it is globally attractive. The permanent condition of the investigated system is also obtained by the theory on impulsive delay differential equation. Our results reveal that the delayed response in growth plays an important role on the outcome of the chemostat. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (10771179). The Nomarch Fund of Guizhou Province, and the Science Technology Fund of Guizhou Province.     

Platinum carbonyl derived catalysts on inorganic and organic supports: a comparative study

Fumed silica, silica gel, silica-alumina and cross-linked (5.5%) polystyrene have been functionalized with quaternary ammonium groups and the Chini cluster [Pt₁₂(CO)₂₄]²⁻ has been anchored onto these functionalized materials by ion pairing. A catalyst has also been prepared by the adsorption of Na₂[Pt₁₂(CO)₂₄] on unfunctionalized fumed silica. The catalytic activities of the resultant materials, and that of commercially purchased 5% platinum on alumina have been studied for the hydrogenation of a variety of unsaturated compounds. The substrates studied are: α-acetamidocinnamic acid, cyclohexanone, acetophenone, methyl pyruvate, ethyl acetoacetate, nitrobenzene and benzonitrile. Compared to the polystyrene supported catalyst, the inorganic oxide supported catalysts have higher surface areas and for most of the substrates have notably higher activities. The functionalized fumed silica-based catalyst gives higher conversions than functionalized silica gel and silica-alumina-based catalysts. In the hydrogenation of acetophenone and ethyl acetoacetate, the functionalized fumed silica-based catalyst show superior activity compared to the commercial platinum catalyst, and the catalyst made by conventional adsorption method. In benzonitrile hydrogenation with all the cluster-derived catalysts a hydrazine derivative is selectively formed, but when the commercial platinum catalyst is used benzyl amine is the main product.     

Distribution of arsenic in the natural environment with emphasis on rocks and soils

Arsenic is ubiquitous in the environment. Although the average arsenic concentrations in rocks (～2 mg kg^?1), soils (～2 mg kg^?1), freshwater (～1 m?g dm^?3), seawater (～2 m?g dm^?3) and organisms is generally low, high arsenic concentrations in limited areas are not uncommon. Whereas terrestrial organisms appear not to accumulate arsenic, marine organisms effectively concentrate arsenic to levels thousand of times higher than in ocean waters. The geochemical cycle and mineralogy of arsenic are reviewed with some emphasis towards Japanese locations and arsenic concentrations (averages, ranges) found in samples from the lithosphere, pedosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere are tabulated and discussed.     

Enantioselective hydrogenation with self-assembling rhodium phosphane catalysts: influence of ligand structure and solvent

Three sets of new and related chiral phospholane and phosphepine ligands have been prepared for Rh-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation. The size and substitution pattern of the cyclic monophosphanes were varied. More importantly, the ligands differ in the nature of the heterocyclic group linked to the trivalent phosphorus atom: 2-pyridone or 2-alkoxypyridine. In the corresponding Rh complexes, the pyridone units of two monodentate P ligands can assemble by hydrogen bonding and form chelates. In contrast, synthetic precursors bearing alkoxypyridine appendages are not able to aggregate via intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The nature of self-assembly is dependent on the nature of the P ligand and the solvent used for the hydrogenation (CH2Cl2 vs. MeOH). These features affect the rate of the reaction as well as the enantioselectivity, which varied in the range of 0-99 % ee Complexation studies and DFT calculations were performed to explain these differences.     

Mechanistic and stereochemical aspects of the asymmetric cyclocarbonylation of 1,6-enynes with rhodium catalysts

NMR and kinetic investigations of the cyclocarbonylation of 1,6-enynes with cationic rhodium(i) catalysts, modified with atropisomeric diphosphines, disprove the involvement of carbonyl species for 1,6-enyne activation; low-temperature catalysis, with molecular sieves as the carbon monoxide reservoir, is highly enantioselective (ee up to 97%).     

Catalytic olefin hydrogenation with the application of a new water soluble rhodium catalyst

The catalyst precursor preparedin situ from rhodium dimer [Rh(cod)Cl]₂ and a new water-soluble phosphine Ph₂PCH₂CH₂CONHC(CH₃)₂CH₂SO₃H (in Li⁺ salt form) has been found to act as an effective olefin hydrogenation catalyst. Catalytic hydrogenation reactions have been tested in either two phase: aqueous catalyst/insoluble olefin or methanolic catalyst/olefin systems. The observed reaction rates were higher for terminal than for internal olefins. 1-Hexene in methanolic solution has been hydrogenated with a turnover frequency of about 8000 h^–1. This system has also been applied in the form of a supported aqueous phase catalyst.     

Hydroformylation of olefins in the presence of rhodium carbonyl catalysts immobilized on polymeric pyrrolidinopyridines

The hydroformylation of olefins in the presence of catalytic systems based on RhCl₃ and polymeric pyrrolidinopyridines was studied. lt was shown that the catalytic system has high activity in the hydroformylation of isobutylene under conditions when the activity of conventional homogeneous catalysts is low. The polymeric catalysts are also thermostable. The effect of solvents on the catalytic properties of the system was studied.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1673–1675, July, 1996.     

Rare earth elements determination and distribution patterns in sediments of a polluted marine environment by instrumental neutron activation analysis

Results obtained from the analysis of sediment core samples taken froma fairly polluted marine environment were analyzed for the REE contents todetermine the concentrations of La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy and Yb using instrumentalneutron activation analysis. Core samples were divided into strata of between2 to 3 cm intervals and prepared in the powdered form before irradiating themin a neutron flux of about 5.0 . 10¹² n . cm ^—2s ^—1 in a Triga Mark II reactor. Down-core concentration profilesof La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy and Yb in 3 core sediments from three sites areobtained. The shale-normalized REE pattern from each site was examined andlater used to explain the history of sedimentation by natural processes suchas shoreline erosion and weathering products deposited on the seabed and furnishingsome baseline data and/or pollution trend occurring within the study area.The shale-normalized REE patterns also showed that LREE in the sediment samplesexhibit enrichment relative to HREE particularly, La and Sm showing enrichmentcompared to the ratios in shale. REE concentrations of 124 µg/g at thesurface of sediment collected at two of the three sites were found to decreaseto 58 and 95 µg/g, respectively. This was of particular interest whenit is used to explain the anomalies occurring in the marine sediment as aresult of geochemical processes over a long period of time. Changes in concentrationsfrom surface to bottom of the sediments ratioed to Sm concentrations and thecorrelation between concentrations of Sm and these elements were also investigatedand correlation coefficients were calculated for all REEs and sites. Validationof the method used was done using a Soil-7 SRM.     

Transformations of formaldehyde and glycolaldehyde during the hydroformylation of formaldehyde in the presence of rhodium catalysts

Hydroformylation of formaldehyde to give glycolaldehyde (GA) in the presence of RhCl(PPh₃)₃, RhCl(CO)(PPh₃)₂, or the RhCl₃ + PPh₃ system inN,N-dimethylacetamide was studied. The hydroformylation is accompanied by the Cannizzaro-Tishchenko reaction, condensation of CH₂O with GA to give C₃-C₁₆ polyoxyaldehydes (POA), and dimerization of GA. The formation of POA, which probably occurs through coordination of GA with a Rh atom, predominates among the side reactions. The optimum conditions for hydroformylation of CH₂O were found to be: RhCl₃ + PPh₃ as the catalyst,T 383 K, 12MPa, [H₂O] 1.8 mol L^–1, [Rh] 2.5 · 10^–3 g-at. L^–1, and [CH₂O] 0.03 g L^–1. At a substrate conversion of 62–67 %, the selectivity of GA formation reaches 96 %, and the yield is 60–65 %.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 75–78, January, 1995.     

Probing the mechanisms of enantioselective hydrogenation of simple olefins with chiral rhodium catalysts in the presence of anions

The strong influence of various anions upon the hydrogenation of 2-phenyl-1-butene, catalyzed by chiral rhodium catalysts was investigated. Both sulfonates and halides exert large increases in the enantioselectivity when [Rh[(-)-bdpp](NBD)]ClO4 (bdpp = 2,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)pentane, NBD = 2,5-norbornadiene) is used as the catalyst precursor at high pressures (70 atm) of dihydrogen in nonpolar solvents. A dihydride mechanism similar to that for Wilkinson's catalyst [RhCl(PPh3)3] was shown to be operating at both high- and low-pressure conditions through a combination of catalytic studies, 31P, 1H and parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) NMR experiments. With sulfonate and in neat methanol, however, a mechanistic switch takes place from a dihydride route (dihydrogen addition before olefin binding) at high pressure to an unsaturate route (olefin binding before dihydrogen addition) at low pressures (<30 atm). Olefin isomerization is inhibited by halide addition, but occurs with sulfonate and in neat methanol through what is most likely a pi-allyl mechanism. A detailed understanding of the effects of addition of these anions is crucial for development of new classes of catalysts capable of efficient enantioselective reduction of prochiral olefins lacking a secondary polar binding group.     

Development of homogeneous and heterogenized rhodium(I) and palladium(II) complexes with ligands based on a chiral proton sponge building block and their application as catalysts

Chiral compounds prepared from proton sponge building block 8-((2R,5R)-2,5-dimethylpyrrolidin-1-yl)naphthalen-1-amine were found to be effective chiral ligands for obtaining complexes of rhodium(I) and palladium(II) by reaction with [RhCl(cod)](2), PdCl(2)(cod) or Pd(OAc)(2). The complexes bearing triethoxysilane groups were immobilized on mesoporous MCM-41 in order to obtain new heterogeneous catalysts. Both materials are active in the hydrogenation of alkenes and could be recycled without loss of activity or enantioselectivity.     

Cp*rhodium complexes with salicyloxazolines: Diastereoselective synthesis, configurational stability and use as asymmetric catalysts for a Diels-Alder reaction

Reaction of [RhCl₂Cp*]₂ (Cp* = η-C₅Me₅) with salicyloxazolines in the presence of NaOMe gives complexes [RhCl(R-saloxaz)Cp*] (1-4) which have been fully characterised. The diastereoselectivity of complexation depends on the substituents and the absolute configuration at the metal centre is unstable in solution. Treatment of 2 with 4-methylpyridine and NaSbF₆ in methanol at reflux gave [Rh(4-Mepy){(S)-ⁱPr-saloxaz}Cp*][SbF₆] (5) whilst [Rh(OH₂)(Me₂-saloxaz)Cp*][SbF₆] (6) was prepared by reaction of 1 with AgSbF₆. Three complexes, [RhCl(Me₂-saloxaz)Cp*] (1), [RhCl{(S)-ⁱPr-saloxaz}Cp*] (2), and [Rh(OH₂)(Me₂-saloxaz)Cp*][SbF₆] (6) have been characterised by X-ray crystallography. Some of the complexes, after treatment with AgSbF₆, have been tested as enantioselective catalysts for the Diels-Alder reaction of methacrolein with cyclopentadiene.     

Impact of ageing on the distribution of platinum group elements and catalyst poisoning elements in automobile catalysts

The distribution of platinum group elements (PGEs) and catalyst poisoning elements (Pb, Zn, P and S) on the surface of gasoline and diesel automobile catalysts was investigated within this study. Laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICPMS) provides both the sensitivity and the spatial resolution required for the surface analysis of sectioned automobile catalysts, and scanning along channels reveals the distribution of longitudinal changes in PGE and catalyst poisoning elements. Changes in catalyst surface features were studied for fresh catalysts and after ageing of the catalyst up to 80 000 km for both types of catalysts studied. The PGEs in the gasoline catalyst were found to decrease at the front of the catalyst after ageing, whereas the diesel catalyst presented a more constant loss along the catalyst. The fraction of poisoning elements (Pb, P and Zn for the gasoline catalyst and P and Zn for the diesel catalyst) retained by the catalyst is distributed non‐uniformly over the length of the catalyst. This could indicate different ageing mechanisms for gasoline and diesel catalysts. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Asymmetric inter- and intramolecular cyclopropanations of alkenes catalyzed by rhodium D4-porphyrin: a comparison of rhodium- and ruthenium-centred catalysts

Iodo-(5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydro-1,4:5,8-dimethanoanthracen-9-yl)porphyrinatorhodium(III), designated as [Rh(P*)(I)], was prepared and its catalytic activity in the asymmetric cyclopropanation of alkenes with ethyl diazoacetate (EDA) was examined. High catalyst turnovers (TON >10³) and moderate enantioselectivities (up to 68% ee) were observed. However, the obtained trans/cis ratios are low. Competition experiments revealed that electron-donating substituents on styrene accelerate the cyclopropanations. The log(k_X/k_H) versus σ⁺ plot for substituted styrenes exhibits a good linearity with a small negative ρ⁺ value (−0.14). [Rh(P*)(I)] is also active in the intramolecular cyclopropanation of allyl diazoacetates. A comparison between rhodium and ruthenium porphyrin complexes was made.     

Unusual formation of 7-vinylcycloheptatriene derivatives in the catalytic cyclopropanation of cyclooctatetraene with diazocarbonyl compounds in the presence of rhodium catalysts

The reaction of cyclooctatetraene with methyl diazoacetate or diazoacetone in the presence of rhodium binuclear complexes gives, besides 9-substituted bicyclo[6.1.0]nona-2,4,6-trienes (mixture ofanti- andsyn-isomers, total yields 60–75%), isomeric β-(cyclohepta-2,4,6-trien-1-yl)acrylates or 4-(cyclohepta-2,4,6-trien-1-yl)but-3-en-2-one in 20–34% yields. In the case of methyl diazoacetate, a mixture ofE- andZ-isomers in a ratio of −3.5∶1 was obtained, while diazoacetone gave onlyE-isomer. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2204–2206, November, 1999.