Mechanochemical Activation of Solid Salts K2PtX6 (X = Cl,Br)

Mechanochemical treatment of solid-phase K₂PtX₆ salts in a vibrating mill in an argon or air atmosphere produced paramagnetic Pt(III) complexes via the homolytic cleavage of the Pt–X bond. Lewis acid sites were found on the surface of the mechanically activated K₂PtCl₆ salt using the paramagnetic probe method. The sites can be attributed to coordinatively unsaturated Pt(IV) complexes formed via Pt–Cl bond heterolysis.     

Slow Reactant–Water Exchange and High Catalytic Performance of Water‐Tolerant Lewis Acids

³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic measurement with trimethylphosphine oxide (TMPO) was applied to evaluate the Lewis acid catalysis of various metal triflates in water. The original ³¹P NMR chemical shift and line width of TMPO is changed by the direct interaction of TMPO molecules with the Lewis acid sites of metal triflates. [Sc(OTf)₃] and [In(OTf)₃] had larger changes in ³¹P chemical shift and line width by formation of the Lewis acid–TMPO complex than other metal triflates. It originates from the strong interaction between the Lewis acid and TMPO, which results in higher stability of [Sc(OTf)₃TMPO] and [In(OTf)₃TMPO] complexes than other metal triflate–TMPO complexes. The catalytic activities of [Sc(OTf)₃] and [In(OTf)₃] for Lewis acid‐catalyzed reactions with carbonyl compounds in water were far superior to the other metal triflates, which indicates that the high stability of metal triflate–carbonyl compound complexes cause high catalytic performance for these reactions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation suggests that low LUMO levels of [Sc(OTf)₃] and [In(OTf)₃] would be responsible for the formation of stable coordination intermediate with nucleophilic reactant in water.     

Effect of Brønsted/Lewis Acid Ratio on Conversion of Sugars to 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural over Mesoporous Nb and Nb‐W Oxides

A series of mesoporous Nb and Nb‐W oxides were employed as highly active solid acid catalysts for the conversion of glucose to 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF ). The results of solid state ³¹P MAS NMR spectroscopy with adsorbed trimethylphosphine as probe molecule show that the addition of W in niobium oxide increases the number of Brønsted acid sites and decreases the number of Lewis acid sites. The catalytic performance for Nb‐W oxides varied with the ratio of Brønsted to Lewis acid sites and high glucose conversion was observed over Nb₅W₅ and Nb₇W₃ oxides with high ratios of Brønsted to Lewis acid sites. All Nb‐W oxides show a relatively high selectivity of HMF , whereas no HMF forms over sulfuric acid due to its pure Brønsted acidity. The results indicate fast isomerization of glucose to fructose over Lewis acid sites followed by dehydration of fructose to HMF over Brønsted acid sites. Moreover, comparing to the reaction occurred in aqueous media, the 2‐butanol/H₂O system enhances the HMF selectivity and stabilizes the activity of the catalysts which gives the highest HMF selectivity of 52% over Nb₇W₃ oxide. The 2‐butanol/H₂O catalytic system can also be employed in conversion of sucrose, achieving HMF selectivity of 46% over Nb₅W₅ oxide.     

Properties of surface acid sites of ZrO2 and SO4ZrO2-based systems studied by diffuse-reflectance Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy: adsorption of acetonitrile-d3

The properties of acid sites of ZrO₂ and SO₄/ZrO₂-based systems modified by metal ions were studied by DRIFT spectroscopy using acetonitrile-d₃ as a probe molecule. In the case of ZrO₂. CD₃CN interacts with the Lewis acid sites (LAS) with moderate strength. Adsorption on the Brönsted acid sites (BAS) is very weak, which indicates the absence of strong BAS on the surface of ZrO₂. Modification of the surface by SO₄ groups results in the appearance of a new type of BAS that are capable of adsorbing CD₃CN in the polycoordinated form,i.e., stronger complexes with the adsorbate. Addition of metal ions (Fe, Ga, Zn, or Co) leads to the formation of a new type of LAS connected with Fe³⁺, Ga³⁺, Zn²⁺, and Co²⁺ promoter ions.     

A recent progress of room–temperature airborne ozone decomposition catalysts

Ozone (O₃) plays essential roles in stratosphere and helps reduce the amount of harmful ultraviolet arriving the Earth’s surface. However, O₃ is also a strong oxidant and causes troubles to human health in troposphere, especially in the confined space, such as indoor environment. Recently, O₃ abatement materials have become research hotspots due to the urgent environmental demands. Catalysis is a facile strategy that can eliminate indoor airborne O₃ efficiently and economically. Thus, this review summarizes the recent progresses of O₃ decomposition catalysts. The catalysts covered here are categorized as follows: zeolite, metal organic frameworks (MOFs), metal oxides, noble metals. Manganese–based catalysts display higher efficiency and are mainly discussed. Generally, the active sites of O₃ decomposition catalysts are described as Lewis acid sites (e.g., zeolite), metal sites (e.g., MOFs), oxygen vacancy sites (e.g., MnO₂) in the previous work. In this review, we ascribe all the active sites to unsaturated metal sites and their Lewis acidity. Possible evidence from the experimental and theoretical perspectives are proposed. Furthermore, the strategy to circumvent deactivation caused by peroxides (O₂^2–) accumulation and water molecular competition are also elaborated. Finally, perspective is presented on the challenges and opportunities of exploring existing and new O₃ decomposition catalysts.     

Modification of the structure and properties of SAPO-11 using rare earths

Silicoaluminophosphate (SAPO)-11 molecular sieve was modified by rare earth La and Ce using impregnating and ion-exchanging methods. The RE-modified SAPO-11 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett- Teller (BET), pore-size distribution (PSD), in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃-TPD), and compared with the unmodified SAPO-11 sample. The XRD patterns indicated that after RE modification, especially for the La-exchanged sample, the composition of molecular sieve was changed and the crystallinity decreased. The normalized surface area (NSA) of ion-exchanged samples proved that the unsubstituted metal oxides accumulated inside the SAPO-11 pores. Because of the RE cations that were loaded onto the surface of molecular sieve, which could be regarded as the Lewis acid sites, there was an increase in the amount of Lewis acid sites and a decrease in the Brønsted acid/Lewis acid (B/L) ratio. The ability of RE cations to acquire electrons was weaker than that of Al³⁺; therefore, the bond strength of bridged hydroxyl decreased after modification. The total acidity of SAPO-11 decreased after RE modification.     

Fe/Al-PILC催化C_3H_6选择性还原NO的实验研究

采用浸渍法制备了负载于铝柱撑黏土的铁基催化剂(Fe/Al-PILC),在固定床反应器上测试其催化C3H6选择性还原NO的性能。通过N2吸附-脱附、X射线衍射(XRD)、H2的程序升温还原(H2-TPR)、紫外可见光谱(Uv-vis)、吡啶吸附红外光谱(Py-FTIR)等手段对催化剂的物理化学性质进行表征。结果表明,9Fe/Al-PILC在400-550℃能够还原98%以上的NO,而且SO2和水蒸气对其催化性能的影响很小。XRD、N2吸附-脱附表征结果表明,Fe/Al-PILC催化剂中铁氧化物高度分散在载体表面,催化剂有较大的比表面积和孔容。H2-TPR结果表明,催化剂的活性主要由Fe_2O_3物相的还原性能决定。Uv-vis结果表明,催化剂的活性与铁氧低聚物种FexOy呈正相关性。Py-FTIR结果表明,催化剂表面同时存在Lewis酸和Brnsted酸,L酸性位是NO和C3H6反应的主要催化活性中心。     

SO42-/TiO2-SiO2 mixed oxide catalyst, 3. An eco-friendly catalyst for esterification of acetic acid

The effect of addition of titania to silica was examined by various characterization techniques such as FT-IR, BET surface area, surface acid strength/acid sites by the Hammett indicator method and Br?nsted/Lewis acid sites by pyridine adsorbed IR study. Ti-O-Si bond is formed in case of TiO₂-SiO₂ sample, as observed from FT-IR data. Acid strength, surface acid sites, and rate constant for esterification of acetic acid are increased with Ti-O-Si bonding and sulfate impregnation. Both Br?nsted and Lewis acid sites are responsible for catalysing the esterification reaction. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A FTIR assessment of surface acidity and dispersion of surface species in titania and alumina-supported molybdena

Adsorption of pyridine on the MoO₃/TiO₂ and MoO₃/Al₂O₃ systems has been studied by FTIR spectroscopy, in order to identify surface acid sites existing in samples with different molybdena loadings. The results show that both Lewis and Brönsted surface acid sites exist, whatever the molybdena loading. The percentage of Brönsted sites is larger for loadings below the theoretical monolayer, and should correspond to bidimensional molybdenum oxides species, while for loadings above the monolayer these sites are associated with bulk MoO₃.     

Infrared study of surface species arising from ammonia adsorption on oxide surfaces

Infrared spectra of ammonia adsorbed on CoO, NiO, SiO₂, CaO, MgO, ZrO₂, ZnO, TiO₂, BeO and Al₂O₃, have been studied in the NH stretching and bending vibration regions at various stages of sample dehydroxylation. Several types of adsorption were found: hydrogen bonding to surface oxygen atoms or hydroxyl groups, coordination to Lewis acid sites and coordination plus hydrogen bonding; on some oxides ammonia molecules dissociate to produce surface NH₂ and OH groups. Frequencies characteristic of the distinct adsorbed species were determined. Except for Al₂O₃, no evidence was found for Brönsted acid sites on the surface of the above oxides.     

Design of Stereoelectronically Promoted Super Lewis Acids and Unprecedented Chemistry of Their Complexes

A new family of stereoelectronically promoted aluminum and scandium super Lewis acids is introduced on the basis of state‐of‐the‐art computations. Structures of these molecules are designed to minimize resonance electron donation to central metal atoms in the Lewis acids. Acidity of these species is evaluated on the basis of their fluoride‐ion affinities relative to the antimony pentafluoride reference system. It is demonstrated that introduced changes in the stereochemistry of the designed ligands increase acidity considerably relative to Al and Sc complexes with analogous monodentate ligands. The high stability of fluoride complexes of these species makes them ideal candidates to be used as weakly coordinating anions in combination with highly reactive cations instead of conventional Lewis acid–fluoride complexes. Further, the interaction of all designed molecules with methane is investigated. All studied acids form stable pentavalent‐carbon complexes with methane. In addition, interactions of the strongest acid of this family with very weak bases, namely, H₂, N₂, carbon oxides, and noble gases were investigated; it is demonstrated that this compound can form considerably stable complexes with the aforementioned molecules. To the best of our knowledge, carbonyl and nitrogen complexes of this species are the first hypothetical four‐coordinated carbonyl and nitrogen complexes of aluminum. The nature of bonding in these systems is studied in detail by various bonding analysis approaches.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Spinel‐Type Gallia‐Alumina Solid Solutions

By precipitation with ammonia of ethanolic solutions containing the appropriate proportions of gallium and aluminium nitrate, following by calcination of the resulting gels at 773 K, mixed Ga₂O₃/Al₂O₃ oxides having Ga:Al ratios of 9:1, 4:1, 1:1, 1:4 and 1:9 were obtained. Powder X‐ray diffraction showed that these mixed metal oxides form a series of solid solutions having the spinel‐type structure; also shown by γ‐Al₂O₃ and γ‐Ga₂O₃. The specific surface area (determined by nitrogen adsorption at 77 K) was found to range from 160 m² g^?1 for the mixed oxide having Ga:Al = 9:1 up to 370 m² g^?1 for that having Ga:Al = 1:9. High resolution MAS NMR showed that Ga³⁺ and Al³⁺ ions occur at both tetrahedral and octahedral sites in the spinel‐type structure of the mixed metal oxides, although there is a preferential occupation of tetrahedral sites by Ga³⁺ ions. A proportion of penta‐coordinated Al³⁺ ions was also found. IR spectra of carbon monoxide adsorbed at 77 K showed that the mixed metal oxides have a considerable Lewis acidity, related mainly to tetrahedrally coordinated metal ions exposed at crystal surfaces. The characteristic infrared absorption band of coordinated (adsorbed) CO appears in the range 2205–2190 cm^?1, and its peak wavenumber is nearly independent of Ga:Al ratio in the mixed gallia‐alumina oxides.     

Lewis Acid Coupled Electron Transfer of Metal–Oxygen Intermediates

Redox‐inactive metal ions and Brønsted acids that function as Lewis acids play pivotal roles in modulating the redox reactivity of metal–oxygen intermediates, such as metal–oxo and metal–peroxo complexes. The mechanisms of the oxidative C?H bond cleavage of toluene derivatives, sulfoxidation of thioanisole derivatives, and epoxidation of styrene derivatives by mononuclear nonheme iron(IV)–oxo complexes in the presence of triflic acid (HOTf) and Sc(OTf)₃ have been unified as rate‐determining electron transfer coupled with binding of Lewis acids (HOTf and Sc(OTf)₃) by iron(III)–oxo complexes. All logarithms of the observed second‐order rate constants of Lewis acid‐promoted oxidative C?H bond cleavage, sulfoxidation, and epoxidation reactions of iron(IV)–oxo complexes exhibit remarkably unified correlations with the driving forces of proton‐coupled electron transfer (PCET) and metal ion‐coupled electron transfer (MCET) in light of the Marcus theory of electron transfer when the differences in the formation constants of precursor complexes were taken into account. The binding of HOTf and Sc(OTf)₃ to the metal–oxo moiety has been confirmed for Mn^IV–oxo complexes. The enhancement of the electron‐transfer reactivity of metal–oxo complexes by binding of Lewis acids increases with increasing the Lewis acidity of redox‐inactive metal ions. Metal ions can also bind to mononuclear nonheme iron(III)–peroxo complexes, resulting in acceleration of the electron‐transfer reduction but deceleration of the electron‐transfer oxidation. Such a control on the reactivity of metal–oxygen intermediates by binding of Lewis acids provides valuable insight into the role of Ca²⁺ in the oxidation of water to dioxygen by the oxygen‐evolving complex in photosystem II.     

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance studies of octadecyl modified metal oxides obtained from different silane precursors

Octadecyl (C₁₈) modified metal oxide substrates, including titania, zirconia, hafnia, and alumina, are prepared using two types of silylating reagents, n-octadecyltrihydridosilane and n-octadecyltrichlorosilane. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and solid-state ²⁹Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements are performed to examine the cross-linking of the silanes. Solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy provides information about the conformation and mobility of surface-immobilized alkyl chains. Variable temperature FTIR investigations are carried out to study the influence of the organosilane precursors and metal oxides on the conformational order of the alkyl modified systems. It is found that grafting by means of n-octadecyltrichlorosilane yields higher grafting densities than surface modification with n-octadecyltrihydridosilane. Combined pyridine adsorption and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) measurements are performed on the titania and hafnia substrates to evaluate potential surface heterogeneities, i.e. Lewis and Brønsted sites. Differences in the alkyl chain conformational order within the series of C₁₈ modified metal oxides are explained by the presence of island structures. The reduced C₁₈ conformational order for the samples grafted with n-octadecyltrihydridosilane is traced back to the lower grafting density which in turn points to a lower reactivity of this silylating reagent. The most striking result is the higher conformational order of the C₁₈ chains grafted in the present surface modified metal oxides when compared with silica-based systems. This finding is attributed to the lower porosity of the metal oxide supports along with more closely packed chains on the surface.     

Correlating the Surface Basicity of Metal Oxides with Photocatalytic Hydroxylation of Boronic Acids to Alcohols

Photoredox catalysis provides opportunities in harnessing clean and green resources such as sunlight and O₂, while the acid and base surface sites of metal oxides are critical for industrial catalysis such as oil cracking. The contribution of metal oxide surfaces towards photocatalytic aerobic reactions was elucidated, as demonstrated through the hydroxylation of boronic acids to alcohols. The strength and proximity of the surface base sites appeared to be two key factors in driving the reaction; basic and amphoteric oxides such as MgO, TiO₂, ZnO, and Al₂O₃ enabled high alcohol yields, while acidic oxides such as SiO₂ and B₂O₃ gave only low yields. The reaction is tunable to different irradiation sources by merely selecting photosensitizers of compatible excitation wavelengths. Such surface complexation mechanisms between reactants and earth abundant materials can be effectively utilized to achieve a wider range of photoredox reactions.     

Mixed metal fluorides as doped Lewis acidic catalyst systems: a comparative study involving novel high surface area metal fluorides

MF₃-doped/MgF₂ systems with enhanced Lewis acidity are reported, which are obtained either by the conventional aqueous route of co-precipitation or, by a novel non-aqueous soft chemistry route. The latter gives outstanding high surface areas and exhibits potent Lewis acid catalyst behaviour. The doped solid metal fluorides with dopant metals such as Ga, In, Fe, V are discussed in terms of the modified Tanabe model, which is adopted for metal fluoride systems. The two doped but differently prepared systems are analysed according to their surface characteristics by BET surface area, pore-size distribution and XPS/XAES as well as for the solid state structure by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), XRD and -MAS-NMR. The surface properties were evaluated by photoacoustic IR-spectroscopy of pyridine adsorbates and selected catalytic reactions.The exemplarily investigated GaF₃-doped/MgF₂ system reveals modified intrinsic properties of the solid mixture culminating in very high surface areas of a structurally distorted mesoporous solid and electrostatic charge rearrangements causing increased Lewis acid sites.     

Activity of catalysts in 1-butanol reaction with H2S

Reaction of 1-butanol with H₂S has been studied at 300 °C and 0.1 MPa on catalysts of various composition. The catalysts that contain mainly strong proton sites on their surface accelerate dehydration of alcohol alone. In the presence of catalysts possessing acidic and basic Lewis sites 1-butanethiol is formed. Reaction rate increases as the concentration and strength of Lewis acid sites increase.     

Modifying the functional cover of the γ-Al2O3 surface using organic salts of aluminum

A method is suggested for modifying the surface properties of alumina without changing its chemical composition. The sorption of aluminum complexes with organic acid ligands on the γ-Al₂O₃ surface is reported. The thermal decomposition of the adsorbed oxalate complexes yields supported aluminum oxide compounds on the surface of the initial support. This modifies the functional cover of the γ-Al₂O₃ surface, altering the proportions of different types of surface hydroxyl groups, reducing their total number, and lowering the concentration of weak Lewis acid sites.     

Interaction of CO2 with small rutile crystallites-an EHMO study

Several possible adsorption sites and adsorption geometries of CO₂ on small rutile fragments were studied by Extended Hückel Molecular Orbital (EHMO) calculations. The parameters for the rutile part were optimised to reproduce the experimental rutile bulk structure and were tested in several small clusters up to [(TiO₂)₃₁(OH)₃₂]^32??6H₂O, a 175 atoms cluster. It was found that the average experimental bond legth can be reproduced with good accuracy. However the slight distortion of the TiO₆ octahedra is calculated with the wrong sign (four long and two short Ti?O bonds). The agreement for the angle α_O-Ti-O is less satisfactory. The study shows that CO₂ can adsorb on fivefold coordinated surface titanium sites as well as surface oxygen sites. This means that CO₂ can act as either Lewis base or acid. In the case of binding as a Lewis base, CO₂ can adsorb linearly forming a single Ti?OCO bond, or interact with two neighboring Ti⁴⁺ sites. A chelating structure forming two Ti?O bonds was found to be weakly stable at the most. When CO₂ behaves as a Lewis acid, a carbonate-like structure is formed by interaction with either terminal oxygen ions or bridging oxygen centers.     

Reactions of Aluminium Tribromide with Tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)nickel(0) and Tetrakis(triethylphosphite)nickel(0) Complexes

Reactions of aluminium tribromide with the Ni(0) phosphine and phosphite complexes are studied by EPR method. AlBr₃was found to cause the oxidation of the transition metal in the (PPh₃)₄Ni complex to the univalent state with the formation of the tetracoordinated (PPh₃)₃NiBr complex. With an excess of AlBr₃, the phosphine ligands are eliminated from the coordination sphere of Ni(I), and the coordinatively unsaturated complexes are destroyed to give the colloidal nickel. In the reaction of (P(OEt)₃)₄Ni with AlBr₃, Ni(0) is also oxidized to Ni(I), but the acido ligand is not eliminated even with a 15-fold excess of the Lewis acid. The activity of catalytic systems on the basis of the Ni(0) phosphine complexes and the Lewis acids in the low-molecular oligomerization reactions of olefines is determined by the cationic coordinatively unsaturated Ni(I) complexes formed in these systems.