Enhanced Acid/Base Catalysis in High Temperature Liquid Water

High temperature liquid water (HTLW), as an environmentally benign medium, has drawn increasing attention for organic chemical reactions and biomass conversion1-3. HTLW has a strong tendency to ionize and can act as an acid and/or base catalyst. In addition, HTLW can dissolve organic compounds to some extent allowing for a homogenous reaction within an aqueous phase. Extensive researches4-10 have been pursued on acid/base-catalysis reactions in HTLW without addition of acid or base. Howe…     

Solid Acid Catalysts: Modification of Acid Sites and Effect on Activity and Selectivity Tuning in Various Reactions

The effects of acidity and variation in concentration of acid sites of dodecatungstophosphoric acid (DTP), supported DTP and montmorillonite-K catalysts were studied for various organic reactions such as the hydroxyalkylation of phenols to bisphenols, intramolecular rearrangement of benzyl phenyl ether (BPE) to 2-benzyl phenol (2-BP) and selective cleavage of tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBDMS) ether into the corresponding alcohol. Both dodecatungstophosphoric acid (DTP) impregnated on silica (SiO₂) and montmorillonite catalysts showed the highest catalyst activity with 90–95% selectivity to bisphenol for the hydroxyalkylation of phenols to give bisphenol. Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) of ammonia and activity results of various catalysts showed that an appropriate combination of both strong and weak acidic sites in the catalyst was highly desirable for high bisphenol selectivity. A 10% DTP/SiO₂ catalyst was found to be highly selective for the cleavage of TBDMS ether into the corresponding alcohol at room temperature giving a high TON of 9.5 × 10⁵ even after the 4th recycle. DTP was also found to be a promising solid acid catalyst for the intramolecular rearrangement of BPE giving 2-BP.     

毛竹酶解/温和酸水解木质素的快速热解研究

采用热裂解-气相色谱/质谱仪联用技术,研究毛竹酶解/温和酸水解木质素(简称EMAL)的热解特性和热解产物的分布与形成规律.以温度为重要因素,研究其对木质素快速热裂解产物的影响,并通过主要的热解产物推断热解反应途径.研究结果表明,EMAL的热解产物主要是2,3-二氢苯并呋喃、酚类、脂类和少量乙酸.热解温度对热解产物组分的相对含量有显著影响,250~400 ℃时,产物主要是2,3-二氢苯并呋喃,320 ℃时其相对含量最高,达到66.26%;400~800 ℃时,热解产物主要是酚类,600 ℃时其相对含量最高,达到62.58%;800 ℃时出现了少量的乙酸.     

Catalytic Decomposition of Lignin Model Compounds to Aromatics over Acidic Catalysts

Recent progress on the catalytic decomposition of lignin model compounds to aromatics was reported in this review. Cesium-exchanged heteropolyacid catalysts (Cs_xH_3.0?xPW₁₂O₄₀), palladium catalysts supported on cesium-exchanged heteropolyacid (Pd/Cs_xH_3.0?xPW₁₂O₄₀), and palladium catalysts supported on various activated carbon aerogels (ACAs) (Pd/ACA-SO₃H (X), Pd/XCs_2.5H_0.5PW₁₂O₄₀/ACA, Pd/Cs_xH_3.0?xPW₁₂O₄₀/ACA, and Pd/Cs_2.5H_0.5PW₁₂O₄₀/ACA-SO₃H) were prepared, and they were employed for the decomposition of C–O bond in lignin to aromatics. Phenethyl phenyl ether, benzyl phenyl ether, and 4-phenoxyphenol were used as dimeric lignin model compounds representing for β-O-4, α-O-4, and 4-O-5 bonds in lignin, respectively. It was observed that Cs_xH_3.0?xPW₁₂O₄₀ and Pd/Cs_xH_3.0?xPW₁₂O₄₀ were highly active for the decomposition of phenethyl phenyl ether and benzyl phenyl ether to aromatics. However, these catalysts showed very low catalytic performance in the decomposition of 4-phenoxyphenol. Palladium catalysts supported on various ACAs (Pd/ACA-SO₃H (X), Pd/XCs_2.5H_0.5PW₁₂O₄₀/ACA, Pd/Cs_xH_3.0?xPW₁₂O₄₀/ACA, and Pd/XCs_2.5H_0.5PW₁₂O₄₀/ACA-SO₃H) were efficient for the decomposition of 4-phenoxyphenol to aromatics. Acidity of the catalysts played a key role in determining the catalytic performance in the decomposition of 4-phenoxyphenol to aromatics.     

Toluene and benzyl decomposition mechanisms: elementary reactions and kinetic simulations

The high temperature decomposition kinetics of toluene and benzyl were investigated by combining a kinetic analysis with the ab initio/master equation study of new reaction channels. It was found that similarly to toluene, which decomposes to benzyl and phenyl losing atomic hydrogen and methyl, also benzyl decomposition proceeds through two channels with similar products. The first leads to the formation of fulvenallene and hydrogen and has already been investigated in detail in recent publications. In this work it is proposed that benzyl can decompose also through a second decomposition channel to form benzyne and methyl. The channel specific kinetic constants of benzyl decomposition were determined by integrating the RRKM/master equation over the C(7)H(7) potential energy surface. The energies of wells and saddle points were determined at the CCSD(T) level on B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) structures. A kinetic mechanism was then formulated, which comprises the benzyl and toluene decomposition reactions together with a recently proposed fulvenallene decomposition mechanism, the decomposition kinetics of the fulvenallenyl radical, and some reactions describing the secondary chemistry originated by the decomposition products. The kinetic mechanism so obtained was used to simulate the production of H atoms measured in a wide pressure and temperature range using different experimental setups. The calculated and experimental data are in good agreement. Kinetic constants of the new reaction channels here examined are reported as a function of temperature at different pressures. The mechanism here proposed is not compatible with the assumption often used in literature kinetic mechanisms that benzyl decomposition can be effectively described through a lumped reaction whose products are the cyclopentadienyl radical and acetylene.     

碱木质素超/亚临界乙醇体系解聚机理研究

采用微型高温高压反应釜,在超/亚临界乙醇体系,进行麦草碱木质素的解聚实验,通过扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、气相色谱/质谱联用仪(GC/MS)及红外光谱仪(FT-IR)对解聚产物进行分析,探讨大分子结构的解聚机理。结果表明,碱木质素在乙醇临界点条件(240℃,7.2 MPa)解聚获得最低残焦得率,数值为16.5%。碱木质素在亚临界乙醇体系解聚过程,碱木质素熔融形成直径1.0-2.0μm的微球分散于乙醇中,结构单体间少量醚键和苯环侧链Cα均裂断裂,形成酚类、酯类、酮类和酸类产物;碱木质素在超临界乙醇体系解聚过程,熔融微球直径明显缩小,解聚时发生大量结构单体间醚键、苯环侧链Cα断裂及酯类产物的二次分解反应,解聚产物中酯类产物含量(11.94%)降低,酚类产物得率(52.14%)提高。     

Benzyl ether from phase transfer catalyzed strongly alkaline hydrolysis of benzyl chloride

The overall rate equation for the production of benzyl ether by phase transfer catalyzed strongly alkaline hydrolysis of benzyl chloride in the pseudo-steady state was derived. The effects of the concentrations and the sizes of the alkyl substituents of the catalysts, the concentration of hydroxide ions in the aqueous phase, the volume-fraction of the organic phase, the reaction temperature and the stirring speed on the production rate of benzyl ether can be explained with the derived rate equation. Under the conditions of 0.842 mol benzyl chloride, 50% aq. NaOH (2.5 mol NaOH), 42.2 mmol Bz(C₂H₅)₃NCl, 70 °C and 500 rpm, the reactions proceeded to nearly 100% benzyl ether within 2 h. The cocatalyst, NaI, is effective for improving the reaction rate, suitable amounts being ~ 5% of the substrate, benzyl chloride. The decomposition rate of the practical catalyst, Bz(C₂H₅)₃NCl, in 30% aq. NaOH at 70 °C is only about 3% per day. The conditions for producing benzyl ether by phase transfer catalyzed hydrolysis of benzyl chloride can be obtained from the rate equation and the experimental data.     

溴化苄的合成工艺研究

以二苄醚和氢溴酸为原料,SO42-/TiO2为催化剂,环已烷为带水剂,合成了溴化苄。实验分别考察了反应物摩尔比、反应时间、反应温度、带水剂的用量,催化剂的使用量等因素对溴化苄收率的影响,得出了用此方法合成溴化苄的最佳反应条件:氢溴酸与二苄醚的摩尔比为3:1,反应时间为8 h,环已烷为8 mL,SO42-/TiO2催化剂的用量为0.5 g,溴化苄的收率达80.2%。     

Computational study of bond dissociation enthalpies for substituted β-O-4 lignin model compounds

The biopolymer lignin is a potential source of valuable chemicals. Phenethyl phenyl ether (PPE) is representative of the dominant β-O-4 ether linkage. DFT is used to calculate the Boltzmann-weighted carbon-oxygen and carbon-carbon bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of substituted PPE. These values are important for understanding lignin decomposition. Exclusion of all conformers that have distributions of less than 5% at 298 K impacts the BDE by less than 1 kcal mol(-1). We find that aliphatic hydroxyl/methylhydroxyl substituents introduce only small changes to the BDEs (0-3 kcal mol(-1)). Substitution on the phenyl ring at the ortho position substantially lowers the C-O BDE, except in combination with the hydroxyl/methylhydroxyl substituents, for which the effect of methoxy substitution is reduced by hydrogen bonding. Hydrogen bonding between the aliphatic substituents and the ether oxygen in the PPE derivatives has a significant influence on the BDE. CCSD(T)-calculated BDEs and hydrogen-bond strengths of ortho-substituted anisoles, when compared with M06-2X values, confirm that the latter method is sufficient to describe the molecules studied and provide an important benchmark for lignin model compounds.     

含三苯基氧磷结构聚芳醚醚酮酮的合成与表征

以苯酚、对二溴苯及苯基磷酰二氯为原料合成出二(4-苯氧基苯基)苯基氧磷(BPOPPO)。 三氯化铝(AlCl₃)为催化剂,通过缩聚反应,BPOPPO与对苯二甲酰氯(TPC)反应制备出一种含有三苯基氧磷结构的聚醚醚酮酮(P-PEEKK)树脂。 采用傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FT-IR)、差示扫描量热仪(DSC)、热重分析仪(TGA)和广角X射线衍射(WAXD)等技术手段对P-PEEKK树脂的结构和性能进行表征。 结果表明,P-PEEKK树脂属于非晶聚合物,玻璃化转变温度(T_g)较高,为190.5 ℃;热分解温度(T_5%)为515 ℃,耐热性能较好;极限氧指数(LOI)为42,阻燃性能好,为难燃材料;易溶解于氯仿、1,2-二氯乙烷、N,N-二甲基乙酰胺等有机溶剂中,溶解性能较好,便于涂膜加工;拉伸强度为62 MPa,力学性能较好。     

Effects of lignin on the ionic-liquid assisted catalytic hydrolysis of cellulose: chemical inhibition by lignin

The production of cellulose-derived biofuels and biochemicals, such as bioalcohols and bioplastics, from lignocellulose requires the isolation of cellulose by lignin removal or delignification processes. While the remaining lignin and its phenolic fragments have been reported to inhibit the biological conversion of cellulose, we observed that the catalytic hydrolysis of cellulose also can be inhibited most likely because of an associative interaction between cellulose and lignin. The associative interaction between cellulose and the functional groups of lignin was proven by gel-permeation-chromatography measurement of regenerated mixtures of lignin and cellulose which simulate the lignocellulose-derived cellulose containing lignin as an impurity. Chemical bonds between cellulose and lignin were hypothesized using lignin model compounds containing known functionalities such as hydroxyl, methoxy, phenyl, allyl, and carboxyl groups in order to explain the effects of lignin on the hydrolysis of cellulose. The yield of glucose from cellulose dropped when carboxylic and hydroxyl groups were present possibly because of the formation of ether and ester bonds between the lignin and cellulose. These observations may help develop the chemical processes and therefore convert the inedible biomass resource of lignocellulose-based cellulose containing lignin and its derivatives to the valuable fuels and chemicals.     

Pretreatment of bagasse by UCT-Solvent for the enzymatic hydrolysis

A thermochemical pretreatment of bagasse for the enzymatic hydrolysis has been carried out, in which pretreatment bagasse was autoclaved with binary solvent, composed of Water and organic solvent having upper critical temperature (UCT) on the mutual solubility curve. The pretreatment was named “UCT-solvent pretreatment.” The hydrophobic decomposition products from lignin and hemicellulose, that dissolved in organic phase at room temperature, could be easily separated from the solid and sugars in the aqueous phase. By using UCT-solvent instead of only water, the sugar recoveries from bagasse through the pretreatment and the enzymatic hydrolysis were much improved. There exists an optimal mixing ratio between organic solvent and water to maximize the effect of the pretreatment for enzymatic hydrolysis. The optimal ratio can be explained by the competitive effect between the ability of water as a reagent for the hydrolysis and the ability of solvent for the extraction of the decomposition product, and furthermore by the competitive effect between affinities of the solvent to hydrophilic hemicellulose and hydrophobic lignin. Decomposition of hemicellulose at lower temperature than 190°C was decreased, and hence the degradation of xylose during the pretreatment decreased. These favorable effects of UCT-solvent pretreatment are significantly attributed to the formation of the homogeneous single phase of organic solvent and water at high temperature and the phase separation at room temperature.     

Preparation of modified hydrolysis lignin and its use for filling epoxy polymers and enhancing their flame resistance

The reaction of hydrolysis lignin with orthophosphoric acid and urea under the conditions of reactant fusion without a solvent was studied. The influence of the reactant ratio and of the reaction temperature and time on the degree of chemical binding of phosphorus and nitrogen with lignin was examined. The modification products can be used as fire-retardant fillers for epoxy compounds.     

聚苯基缩水甘油醚中的间规立构组分(s-PPGE)的研究

对间规PPGE的合成、性质和催化剂的结构进行了研究 .研究发现 ,间规PPGE的获得与Bu2 SnO Bu3 PO4缩合物催化剂的结构有关 ,经过两次缩合得到的催化剂Sn P80 0 0中存在全同立构和间规立构两种活性中心 .提高聚合温度可提高PPGE的全同立构规整度 .与全同PPGE不同 ,间规PPGE可溶于氯仿、甲苯等溶剂 ,结晶能力低于全同PPGE ;其热诱导结晶速度很慢 ,但它在合适溶剂如丙酮的诱导下可以较快地结晶 .     

Different Pathways in the Base-Promoted Isomerization of Benzyl Oxiranyl Ethers

The base-promoted isomerization of benzyl oxiranyl ethers was investigated. In particular it was shown that the reaction may proceed toward two main regioisomeric products: a benzyl vinyl ether or a 2-aryl-3-(hydroxyalkyl)oxetane, depending on subtle variations in the substitution on the phenyl ring. Disubstituted oxetanes were obtained in a stereoselective manner, thus providing a good entry to this class of synthetically useful compounds.     

Beech Lignin—Proposal of a Constitutional Scheme

The high molecular weight material lignin consists of phenylpropane units linked together by a variety of bond types. During the past eight years, two newly developed degradation procedures have permitted the first direct determinations of the nature of these bonds. The first procedure affords a very mild partial hydrolysis of benzyl ether bonds. Eleven dimeric, trimeric, and tetrameric degradation products were obtained in this way from spruce and beech lignin: they exhibited three different kinds of bonds between the C₉ structural units, and their structures have all been elucidated. In the second procedure, the most important kind of bond in lignin, i. e. the arylglycerol-β-aryl ether bond, can be subjected to directed cleavage under mild conditions after introduction of a suitable neighboring group. On application to beech lignin, 91 % of the material was degraded giving monomeric to tetrameric phenols. Complete structural elucidation of the twenty dimeric phenols isolated and a knowledge of their relative yields and the yields of the other fractions obtained by gel filtration permitted a structural scheme to be set up for beech lignin in which the C₉ structural units are linked together by no less then ten different kinds of bonds. The structural scheme, which can be readily explained biogenetically, has the same elemental composition as natural beech lignin. Further support for the structural scheme comes from a comparison of the ¹³C-NMR spectrum of natural beech lignin and a ¹³C-NMR spectrum calculated for the proposed structure on the basis of about fifty lignin model substances.     

Gas phase thermolysis of benzyl t-butyl sulfide,phenyl t-butyl sulfide,and phenyl t-butyl ether

The pyrolysis kinetics of the title compounds has been studied in a stirred-flow reactor over the temperature range 440–530°C and pressures between 5 and 14 torr. Benzyl t-butyl sulfide and phenyl t-butyl ether formed isobutene as product in over 98% yield, together with the corresponding benzyl thiol and phenol. The benzyl thiol decomposes to a large extent into hydrogen sulfide and bibenzyl. In the pyrolysis of phenyl t-butyl sulfide, the hydrocarbon products consisted of 80 ±5% isobutene plus 20% isobutane, while the sulfur containing products were thiophenol and diphenyl disulfide. Order one kinetics was observed for the consumption of the reactants. The first order rate coefficients, based on isobutene production, followed the Arrhenius equations: Benzyl t-butyl sulfide: Phenyl t-butyl sulfide: Phenyl t-butyl ether: For benzyl t-butyl sulfide and phenyl t-butyl ether, the results suggest a unimolecular mechanism involving polar four center cyclic transition states. For phenyl t-butyl sulfide, the t-butyl-sulfur single bond fission mechanism is a parallel, less important process than the complex fission one.     

醚的初始暗氧化反应机理的研究

有机化合物的空气氧化是一个历史悠久的研究课题。早在1851年Schonbein[1]就注意到醚在空气中会被氧化产生过氧化物。本世纪初,Clover和Milas分析了醚的空气氧化产物,并且对醚的氧化机理,进行了研究。     

贵金属催化剂上两步法选择性降解有机溶剂型木质素

使用担载型贵金属催化剂和磷酸在不同温度下通过两步法加氢降解二氧六环木质素. 第一步反应使用Rh/C和浓度为1% (w)的磷酸为催化剂, 在270 ℃和4 MPa氢气气氛下反应后通过气相色谱(GC)和气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)分析木质素单体和二聚体, 总收率最高可达16.9%. 通过傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、元素分析(EA)和凝胶渗透色谱(GPC)等方法研究第一步反应产物的变化. 结果发现, 二氧六环木质素中的C－O－C键被打断, 木质素分子量降低, 部分羰基和羧基被脱除. 随着反应温度的上升, 产物的含氧量不断下降, 在270 ℃反应10 h 后氧含量从35% (w)降低至21% (w). 结合不同的表征方法, 提出二氧六环木质素的第一步反应路径. 第二步反应中使用Pd/C和磷酸为催化剂在250 ℃可以将木质素单体、二聚体高选择性地加氢脱氧转化为对应的烃类产物.     

纳米Cu2O催化二苯甲烷二氨基甲酸苯酯无溶剂热分解制备二苯甲烷二异氰酸酯

研究了无溶剂条件下纳米Cu₂O催化二苯甲烷二氨基甲酸苯酯(MDPC)热分解制备二苯甲烷二异氰酸酯(MDI),考察了纳米Cu₂O的制备条件与反应条件对MDPC热分解反应性能的影响.结果表明,水解法制备的纳米Cu₂O在Ar中于300℃焙烧2h,其催化性能最佳;最佳的反应条件为Cu₂O用量为原料总重的0.06%,反应温度220℃,反应压力0.6kPa,反应时间12min,此时MDPC转化率达到99.8%,MDI选择性86.2%.