Acid–base features of ex-hydrotalcites Mg-containing and Mg-free mixed oxides

CuNiAl and MgCuNiAl mixed oxides (Cu²⁺/Ni²⁺ = 0.29 and 0.32 mol/mol) were obtained from layered double hydroxide precursors (M²⁺/Al³⁺ = 2 mol/mol) synthesized by pH-controlled co-precipitation. After structural and textural characterization (by X-ray diffraction and N₂ physisorption, respectively), the acid and basic features of the mixed oxides were investigated by adsorption microcalorimetry. NH₃ and CO₂ were used for probing the acid and basic features, respectively. By the use of temperature-programmed technique, the redox features of the oxides were investigated as well. The behaviour of the oxides as catalysts for the conversion of 4-methylpentan-2-ol at 448, 473, and 523 K under atmospheric pressure was studied in a fixed-bed reactor. The dehydration products distribution and the relative extents of the dehydration and dehydrogenation reactions are discussed in terms of the possible occurrence, depending on the lack or presence of Mg in the oxide and the reaction temperature, of either acid–base-governed E1 and E2 mechanisms or Cu-promoted reaction pathways.     

Mg-Zn-Al三金属类水滑石的合成及其复合氧化物的催化性能

水滑石（[Mg_６Al_２（OH）_(１６)[CO_３·４H_２O）是一种类似于水镁石结构的层状阴离子黏土，其骨架为阳离子，层间为阴离子。如改变骨架中的金属阳离子或在层间引入不同的阴离子，就可形成各种新组成的类水滑石。水滑石对有机分子反应具有较高的催化活性和选择性，且可以作为复合氧化物催化剂的前体，应用广泛。它作为碱催化剂，可用于醇醛缩合；作为氧化还原催化剂，用于水煤气转化、NO的还原、甲烷氧化反应等犤１，２犦。作为一种具有特殊结构的化合物，各种双金属组分的水滑石或类水滑石的合成、性质与应用已受到广泛的重视犤３…     

A review on multi-component green synthesis of N-containing heterocycles using mixed oxides as heterogeneous catalysts

The use of mixed oxides is a well-appreciated approach in the fields of material science and synthesis, due to remarkable tunable surface properties such as acidic and basic characteristics, oxidation/reduction capabilities, and high agility of lattice oxygen, which makes them ideal choices as heterogeneous catalysts. The activity of the mixed oxides broadly relies on the nature of support and active material used and on the preparation method, calcination temperatures. Wide range of techniques for preparation of mixed oxide materials are adoptable, viz. sol-gel, co-precipitation, wet impregnation, microwave irradiation and hydrothermal methods. Use of mixed oxides as solid catalysts have gained popularity in many valued organic transformations, via alkylation, oxidation, condensation, dehydration, dehydrogenation, cycloaddition and isomerization. Application of mixed oxides in the area of green organic synthesis is a valuable strategy, which contributed significantly to the design of many novel heterocyclic scaffolds. The chemistry of N-heterocycle scaffolds, which generally possess five and six membered rings, is an interesting area for both synthetic and medicinal chemistry research constituting over 60% organics used in various arenas. The position and number of nitrogen atoms in the rings, distinguish them as pyrroles, pyrazoles, imidazoles, triazoles, pyridines and pyramidines classes. In this review, we focus on the scope, importance and versatile applications of mixed metal oxides and their synergetic effects as heterogeneous catalysts in the synthesis of variety of N-heterocyclic derivatives. The scientific aspects of the mixed oxides as catalytic active materials to design efficient synthetic protocols for the organic transformations is also discussed.     

Direct conversion of bio-ethanol to isobutene on nanosized Zn(x)Zr(y)O(z) mixed oxides with balanced acid-base sites

We report the design and synthesis of nanosized Zn(x)Zr(y)O(z) mixed oxides for direct and high-yield conversion of bio-ethanol to isobutene (~83%). ZnO is addded to ZrO(2) to selectively passivate zirconia's strong Lewis acidic sites and weaken Br?nsted acidic sites, while simultaneously introducing basicity. As a result, the undesired reactions of bio-ethanol dehydration and acetone polymerization/coking are suppressed. Instead, a surface basic site-catalyzed ethanol dehydrogenation to acetaldehyde, acetaldehyde to acetone conversion via a complex pathway including aldol-condensation/dehydrogenation, and a Br?nsted acidic site-catalyzed acetone-to-isobutene reaction pathway dominates on the nanosized Zn(x)Zr(y)O(z) mixed oxide catalyst, leading to a highly selective process for direct conversion of bio-ethanol to isobutene.     

Preparation of supported metal catalysts starting from hydrotalcites as the precursors and their improvements by adopting “memory effect”

Hydrotalcite-like compounds (HTlcs) can be used as the catalysts as it is since they contain various transition metal cations as the catalytically active species well dispersed on the basic support materials. Moreover, increasing numbers of the applications of HTlcs after the heat treatment have been found since the oxides with very small crystal size, stable to thermal treatments, are obtained after the calcination. The oxides possess interesting properties such as high surface area, basic properties and further form small and thermally stable metal crystallites by reduction. Moreover, the calcined oxides show a unique property, i.e., “memory effect,” which allows the reconstitution of the original hydrotalcite structure. We have developed the catalytic applications of hydrotalcites as it is and moreover the mixed oxides derived from hydrotalcites for various catalytic reactions, i.e., oxidation, dehydrogenation and reforming of hydrocarbons, and even for the reforming of methanol and the CO shift reaction. Aerobic oxidation of alcohols, Baeyer−Villiger oxidation of ketones and O₃ oxidation of oxalic acid have been successfully carried out with the Mg−Al hydrotalcites containing Ni, Fe and Cu, respectively, as the catalysts in liquid phase. In the O₃ oxidation of oxalic acid, the catalytic activity was enhanced by the “memory effect,” i.e., Mg(Cu)–Al hydrotaclite was reconstituted on the surface of Mg(Cu,Al)O periclase particles and oxalic acid was incorporated as anions in the hydrotalcite layer, resulting in an enhanced oxidation of oxalic acid. As the catalysts in the vapor phase reactions, Mg/Fe/Al mixed oxides prepared from Mg–Al(Fe) hydrotalcites and effectively catalyzed the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene. Supported Ni metal catalysts have been prepared from Mg(Ni)–Al hydrotalcites and successfully used in the steam reforming and the oxidative reforming of methane and propane. Moreover, the Ni catalysts have been improved by combining a trace amount of noble metals by adopting the “memory effect” and used in the production of hydrogen for the PEFC under the daily startup and shutdown operation. Also starting from aurichalcite or hydrotalcite precursor as the precursor, Cu/Zn/Al catalysts with high Cu metal surface area have been prepared and successfully applied in the steam reforming of methanol and dimethyl ether, and moreover in the CO shift reaction.     

Al2（SO4）3／SiO2催化甲醇脱水合成二甲醚

采用浸渍法制备了不同负载量的Al2（SO4）3／SiO2催化剂．使用BET、XRD、FT—IR、异丙醇探针反应、NH3吸附量热和NH3吸附红外等手段对催化剂进行了表征,并测试了其在甲醇脱水合成二甲醚反应中的活性．BET、XRD和FT-IR结果表明,载体SiO2的表面积较高,随着Al2（SO4）3负载量的增加,样品的表面积逐渐降低,当Al2（SO4）3负载量高于20％时,样品表面开始出现晶相Al2（SO4）3．NH3吸附量热和NH3吸附红外结果表明,载体SiO2的酸性很弱,负载了Al2（SO4）3后,样品酸性大大增强,且酸性随着Al2（SO4）3负载量的增加先增强后减弱．样品表面同时存在B酸中心和L酸中心,但以B酸中心为主．Al2（SO4）3负载量为3％的样品的表面酸性最强,因而在甲醇脱水反应中表现出最高的反应活性,533K,甲醇转化率为83．5％,二甲醚选择性100％．     

Surface and Catalytic Properties of TiO2–ZrO2 Mixed Oxides

This paper reviews acid–base bifunctional catalysis and surface properties (morphology, composition, specific area, acidity/basicity, site density) on TiO₂–ZrO₂ (abbreviated as TZ) mixed oxides. The phase change from crystalline single oxides (TiO₂ and ZrO₂) to amorphous TZ mixed oxide results in decreasing grain size and site density, increasing surface area, acid/base amount and strength, and better activity/selectivity. Different acid–base bifunctional mechanisms (concerted, go-together, stepwise) were proposed to interpret the reaction behavior of various reactions (esterification, dehydration, dehydrogenation, isomerization, dehydrocyclization) over the acid–base bifunctional TZ catalysts.     

Pt/MOx-SiO2 (M=Ce,Zr, Al)催化剂对CO和C3H8氧化性能的影响

采用共沉淀法制备质量比为1:1的MOx-SiO2(M=Ce,Zr,Al)复合氧化物,以此为载体采用浸渍法制备了铂基氧化型催化剂.考察了该系列催化剂在模拟柴油车尾气条件下,经SO2硫化前后对C3H8和CO的氧化性能.用X射线衍射(XRD)、低温N2吸附-脱附、氨气/氧气/二氧化碳程序升温脱附(NH3/O2/CO2-TPD)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等手段进行了表征.NH3-TPD证实催化剂表面存在多种酸中心,硫化后催化剂表面中强酸中心增多.O2-TPD证实催化剂表面存在α和β氧物种,硫化后催化剂表面氧脱附量减少.其中Pt/Al2O3-SiO2表面酸性最弱和表面氧脱附量最大.XPS结果表明新鲜催化剂经硫化后会使催化剂表面Pt的结合能降低.活性测试结果表明,三种催化剂对CO和C3H8的催化氧化活性均较好,其中Pt/ZrO2-SiO2抗SO2中毒性能最佳,具有良好的应用前景.     

A theoretical study of the dehydration and the dehydrogenation processes of alcohols on metal oxides using MOPAC

Using a semi-empirical molecular orbital method, PM3, and 2-propanol as an example, the dehydration and the dehydrogenation processes of alcohol on oxide catalysts were studied. The catalysts addressed here were four kinds of oxides (Al₂O₃, SiO₂, ZnO, CdO) whose reaction selectivities had been experimentally determined. The usual models consisting of a surface metal ion, several oxide ions and an isopropoxy group were used in calculations. For the dehydration, heats of formation of the models were calculated at each point of the process where the distance between a β-hydrogen of the group and a basic site (i.e. oxygen of the group or a surface oxide ion) or a metal ion was gradually shortened, or where the length of the C–O bond of the group was gradually increased. A reasonable dehydration mechanism was estimated by comparing activation energies calculated from the transitions of the heats of formation. The most probable dehydrogenation mechanism was also estimated in a similar way by gradually making an -hydrogen close to a surface oxide ion, the metal ion or a surface proton. It was concluded that the dehydration proceeds by scission of the C–O bond of the group after its oxygen was attacked by some electrophile on the surface and that the dehydrogenation proceeds by a mechanism in which an -hydrogen of the group was extracted by the metal ion.

Based on the dehydration mechanism thus deduced, alkoxy groups generated by adsorption of the primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols on SiO₂ were calculated in order to estimate the activation energies of their decompositions. In result, the order of the energies was found to be in good agreement with that of the decomposition rates experimentally determined by Kitahara. This agreement gives support to the validity of the mechanism deduced for the dehydration of alcohol.     

Characterization of the active sites in MgNiAl mixed oxides by microcalorimetry and test reaction

In this study, MgNiAl mixed oxides derived from layered double hydroxide precursors were prepared by pH-controlled co-precipitation. Three samples were prepared with a (Mg²⁺ + Ni²⁺)/Al³⁺ ratio of 2 and a Ni²⁺/Mg²⁺ with ratios of 0.22, 0.47, and 4.05. The structural, textural and redox features of the oxides were investigated by a variety of techniques, including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, N₂ physisorption, and temperature-programmed reduction. The acid and base properties were assessed by NH₃ and CO₂ adsorption microcalorimetry, respectively. The acid–base features were also investigated by testing the catalytic behaviors of the oxides for the conversion of 4-methylpentan-2-ol under both mild and stressed conditions. The reactant alcohol can undergo dehydration into 4-methylpent-1-ene, 4-methylpent-2-ene, and skeletal isomers of C₆-alkenes, as well as dehydrogenation to 4-methylpentan-2-one and higher ketones, the product selectivity being governed by the concentration and strength of the acid and base sites. Comparison between the calorimetric and test reaction results is discussed.     

Dehydration-dehydrogenation of 1-phenylethanol over acid-basic catalysts

1-Phenylethanol transformation over several oxide catalysts (MgO, MgO-B₂O₃, ZrO₂, AlPO₄-SiO₂ and a Spanish sepiolite of Vallecas) was used as test reaction to determine their acid-basic properties. Different kinds of surface sites are proposed for dehydration and dehydrogenation processes. Thus, strong basic sites are related to the dehydrogenation process while both weak acid and basic sites are responsible for that of dehydration.     

Experimental and DFT studies of the conversion of ethanol and acetic acid on PtSn-based catalysts

Reaction kinetics studies were conducted for the conversions of ethanol and acetic acid over silica-supported Pt and Pt/Sn catalysts at temperatures from 500 to 600 K. Addition of Sn to Pt catalysts inhibits the decomposition of ethanol to CO, CH4, and C2H6, such that PtSn-based catalysts are active for dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde. Furthermore, PtSn-based catalysts are selective for the conversion of acetic acid to ethanol, acetaldehyde, and ethyl acetate, whereas Pt catalysts lead mainly to decomposition products such as CH4 and CO. These results are interpreted using density functional theory (DFT) calculations for various adsorbed species and transition states on Pt(111) and Pt3Sn(111) surfaces. The Pt3Sn alloy slab was selected for DFT studies because results from in situ (119)Sn M?ssbauer spectroscopy and CO adsorption microcalorimetry of silica-supported Pt/Sn catalysts indicate that Pt-Sn alloy is the major phase present. Accordingly, results from DFT calculations show that transition-state energies for C-O and C-C bond cleavage in ethanol-derived species increase by 25-60 kJ/mol on Pt3Sn(111) compared to Pt(111), whereas energies of transition states for dehydrogenation reactions increase by only 5-10 kJ/mol. Results from DFT calculations show that transition-state energies for CH3CO-OH bond cleavage increase by only 12 kJ/mol on Pt3Sn(111) compared to Pt(111). The suppression of C-C bond cleavage in ethanol and acetic acid upon addition of Sn to Pt is also confirmed by microcalorimetric and infrared spectroscopic measurements at 300 K of the interactions of ethanol and acetic acid with Pt and PtSn on a silica support that had been silylated to remove silanol groups.     

铝基类水滑石和复合氧化物负载Pt催化剂的制备及对甲基苯酚加氢脱氧反应的催化性能

采用共沉淀法制备了多种铝基类水滑石,焙烧后得到对应的复合氧化物;以水滑石或复合氧化物为载体,制备了系列Pt基催化剂,研究了该催化剂对甲基苯酚加氢脱氧反应的催化性能。结果表明,Pt基催化剂的性能与载体的组分组成和结构相关;当以不经焙烧的类水滑石做载体时,所制备的Pt基催化剂具有较高的活性。其中,Pt-Ni-Al-H催化剂的加氢脱氧活性最高,对甲基苯酚转化率达到99.8%,甲苯选择性为1.4%,而Pt-Zn-Al-H催化剂的直接脱氧活性最高,在275℃和氢压2MPa下反应1h后,甲苯选择性达到84.1%。研究发现,反应过程中所生成的甲基环己烷可进一步发生脱氢反应转化为甲苯,说明所制备的Pt基催化剂具有较好的脱氢活性,可节省脱氧过程中的氢气消耗量。     

ZrO2‐Based Alternatives to Conventional Propane Dehydrogenation Catalysts: Active Sites,Design, and Performance

Non‐oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propene is an established large‐scale process that, however, faces challenges, particularly in catalyst development; these are the toxicity of chromium compounds, high cost of platinum, and catalyst durability. Herein, we describe the design of unconventional catalysts based on bulk materials with a certain defect structure, for example, ZrO₂ promoted with other metal oxides. Comprehensive characterization supports the hypothesis that coordinatively unsaturated Zr cations are the active sites for propane dehydrogenation. Their concentration can be adjusted by varying the kind of ZrO₂ promoter and/or supporting tiny amounts of hydrogenation‐active metal. Accordingly designed Cu(0.05 wt %)/ZrO₂‐La₂O₃ showed industrially relevant activity and durability over ca. 240 h on stream in a series of 60 dehydrogenation and oxidative regeneration cycles between 550 and 625 °C.     

负载型Pt/CeO_2-Al_2O_3催化剂的制备及其脱氢性能

通过超声辅助共沉淀法制备了具有高比表面积、大孔容和大孔径的CeO_2-Al_2O_3复合载体,并以此制备了一系列负载型Pt/CeO_2-Al_2O_3催化剂,采用XRD、氮吸附、NH3-TPD、SEM和TEM等方法对复合载体和催化剂进行了表征;以甲基环己烷为模型化合物,考察了Pt/CeO_2-Al_2O_3催化剂的脱氢性能,研究了载体中Ce/Al物质的量比及反应温度对其催化脱氢性能的影响。结果表明,当Ce/Al物质的量比为0.5时,Pt/CeO_2-Al_2O_3催化剂在450℃下具有较高的脱氢性能;甲基环己烷转化率达到88.53%,甲苯的选择性达94.63%。     

Effect of the Preparation Methodof Al–Mg–O Catalysts on the Selective Decomposition of Ethanol

Summary.  Selective decomposition of ethanol was used as a test reaction at 350°C to evaluate the catalytic activity of two Al–Mg–O mixed oxides prepared by two different methods (wet impregnation and coprecipitation). The catalyst precursors were examined by TG and DTA and were calcined between 500–900°C for 5 h in air. The surface area of all catalysts was measured by N₂ sorption using the BET method. The total acidity and basicity were determined by TPD using pyridine and formic acid. The catalysts were characterized by XRD analysis. It was found that the preparation method of Al–Mg–O catalyst has a great effect on the selective decomposition of ethanol. Al–Mg–O (I) catalysts, prepared by wet impregnation, were more selective towards ethene formation during dehydration of ethanol. This is ascribed to their high total surface acidity. On the other hand, Al–Mg–O (II) catalysts, prepared by coprecipitation, were highly selective in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol to yield acetaldehyde. This could be attributed to their high concentration of basic sites. In addition, the production of traces of diethyl ether was also observed (three times more for Al–Mg–O (II) than for Al–Mg–O (I)). Corresponding author. E-mail: shalawy99@yahoo.com Received October 12, 2001. Accepted (revised) January 7, 2002     

Phosphated ceria,selective catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation of isobutane

The oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of isobutane over pure ceria and phosphated ceria catalysts, containing two different amounts of phosphorus, was examined at temperatures ranging from 450 to 610 °C. The catalysts were characterized using nitrogen adsorption, DRX, SEM, EDX, XPS and TPR techniques. Adding phosphorus to ceria and increasing the phosphorus content results in a modification of the physicochemical characteristics of the catalyst, the redox ability of the catalytic material being strongly diminished. At the same time, by adding phosphorus to ceria and increasing the phosphorus content, a decrease of the catalytic activity accompanied by an important increase of the selectivity for isobutene, mainly at the expense of carbon oxides, was observed. A compensation effect in catalysis was also observed for the isobutane conversion on this series of catalysts.     

Acid-Base properties of MgCuAl mixed oxides

MgCuAl layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with a hydrotalcite like structure containing different proportions of Mg²⁺ and Cu²⁺ cations have been prepared. Thermogravimetry and X-ray diffraction data indicated that the transformation of LDH into mixed oxides is effective after calcination at 723 K, irrespective of the composition. The acid-base properties of these mixed oxides have been investigated using adsorption microcalorimetry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with NH₃ (for acidity) and SO₂ (for basicity) as probe molecules. Their catalytic behaviour for the conversion of cyclohexanol has been tested. The acid-base properties and the selectivity of catalysts has been related to their composition. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis of Acetoaldehyde,Acetic Acid,and Others by the Dehydrogenation and Oxidation of Ethanol

Following gradual shift of primary resources from fossil towards renewable ones in chemical industry, biomass based ethanol has been attracting growing interests as a fuel to replace gasoline and as a chemical feed stock to replace ethylene. This paper reviews major work reported in the last 10 years for the production of acetaldehyde, acetic acid, and other related compounds from ethanol. At present acetic acid can be industrially produced more economically from methanol than from ethylene, the production of acetic acid from ethanol is not profitable. Acetaldehyde, which is more expensive than ethanol, can be selectively produced in gas phase by dehydrogenation over supported Cu catalysts and by oxidation with O₂ over V and Mo based oxides. It is noteworthy that gold nanoparticles deposited on basic and acidic metal oxides are highly selective to acetaldehyde by oxidation with O₂. Acetic acid can be produced in water solvent over Au catalysts supported on MgAl₂O₄ or on Cu doped NiO, while in gas phase over Mo–V–Nb mixed oxides combined with TiO₂ colloids.