Activation and Deactivation of Gold/Ceria–Zirconia in the Low-Temperature Water–Gas Shift Reaction

Gold (Au) on ceria–zirconia is one of the most active catalysts for the low-temperature water–gas shift reaction (LTS), a key stage of upgrading H₂ reformate streams for fuel cells. However, this catalyst rapidly deactivates on-stream and the deactivation mechanism remains unclear. Using stop–start scanning transmission electron microscopy to follow the exact same area of the sample at different stages of the LTS reaction, as well as complementary X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we observed the activation and deactivation of the catalyst at various stages. During the heating of the catalyst to reaction temperature, we observed the formation of small Au nanoparticles (NPs; 1–2 nm) from subnanometer Au species. These NPs were then seen to agglomerate further over 48 h on-stream, and most rapidly in the first 5 h when the highest rate of deactivation was observed. These findings suggest that the primary deactivation process consists of the loss of active sites through the agglomeration and possible dewetting of Au NPs.     

Catalysis of Carbon–Gas Reactions

The characteristic features on the catalysis of carbon–gas reactions has been studied by combining various techniques such as transient kinetics, temperature-programmed desorption and others. Some of recent achievements are presented to comprehend the state of the art. Many industrial processes associated with catalytic carbon–gas reactions are then discussed in relation to the fundamental chemistry of catalysis.     

Styrene Hydroformylation with In Situ Hydrogen: Regioselectivity Control by Coupling with the Low-Temperature Water–Gas Shift Reaction

The hydroformylation of olefins is one of the most important homogeneously catalyzed industrial reactions for aldehyde synthesis. Various ligands can be used to obtain the desired linear aldehydes in the hydroformylation of aliphatic olefins. However, in the hydroformylation of aromatic substrates, branched aldehydes are formed preferentially with common ligands. In this study, a novel approach to selectively obtain linear aldehydes in the hydroformylation of styrene and its derivatives was developed by coupling with a water–gas shift reaction on a Rh single-atom catalyst without the use of ligands. Detailed studies revealed that the hydrogen generated in situ from the water–gas shift is critical for the highly regioselective formation of linear products. The coupling of a traditional homogeneous catalytic process with a heterogeneous catalytic reaction to tune product selectivity may provide a new avenue for the heterogenization of homogenous catalytic processes.     

High-temperature Water–Gas Shift catalysts for hydrogen enrichment of a gas produced by biomass steam gasification

To improve the hydrogen content of a biomass steam gasification syngas, Water–Gas Shift Fe/CeO₂ catalysts supported on ceramic foams were developed. The impregnation of ceria as washcoat led to an increase in the support surface area (BET) and to the formation of well-dispersed iron particles (XRD and TPR) by iron oxide impregnation. Catalytic tests were performed at atmospheric pressure with minor pressure drops, under a gas mixture similar to that produced at the gasifier outlet. A satisfactory CO conversion and a large increase in H₂ content were reached by adjusting the operating parameters of the WGS and the catalysts’ composition. After-test characterizations indicated in situ catalysts activation with no over-reduction and a positive action of ceria on iron dispersion and sintering prevention.     

Analysis of Mechanisms at the Plasma–Liquid Interface in a Gas–Liquid Discharge Reactor Used for Treatment of Polluted Water

Aqueous solutions polluted by contaminants different from those generally studied (phenol and chlorophenols) were treated in a falling film gas–liquid dielectric barrier discharge reactor. The lower was the Henry’s law constant of a molecule, the better was its removal percentage, regardless of its other chemical properties. In the case of saturated molecules, the removal mechanism is the transfer of pollutants from the liquid phase to the gas phase where they react with the active species of the discharge. For phenol, the reaction with ozone in the liquid phase was estimated to be responsible of about 30% of the removal. A computational fluid dynamic modelling provided a better understanding of the phenomena, indicating that mass transfer of pollutants from liquid to gas is accelerated due to (1) the intense mixing in the liquid film and (2) the reaction of the pollutant with the active species in the gaseous phase.     

In Situ Dispersion of Palladium on TiO2 During Reverse Water–Gas Shift Reaction: Formation of Atomically Dispersed Palladium

The application of single-atom catalysts (SACs) to high-temperature hydrogenation requires materials that thermodynamically favor metal atom isolation over cluster formation. We demonstrate that Pd can be predominantly dispersed as isolated atoms onto TiO₂ during the reverse water–gas shift (rWGS) reaction at 400 °C. Achieving atomic dispersion requires an artificial increase of the absolute TiO₂ surface area by an order of magnitude and can be accomplished by physically mixing a precatalyst (Pd/TiO₂) with neat TiO₂ prior to the rWGS reaction. The in situ dispersion of Pd was reflected through a continuous increase of rWGS activity over 92 h and supported by kinetic analysis, infrared and X-ray absorption spectroscopies and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The thermodynamic stability of Pd under high-temperature rWGS conditions is associated with Pd-Ti coordination, which manifests upon O-vacancy formation, and the artificial increase in TiO₂ surface area.     

Participation of Water in the Secondary Transformations of Hydrocarbons on Cobalt–Zeolite Catalysts for the Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis

This review is dedicated to the effect of water as the main by-product of the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis on the process. The reasons for the negative effect of water are analyzed and the possible versions of the control of its participation in the process are considered. As an optimal solution to the problem, the use of zeolites in the H form as the constituents of cobalt catalysts for the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis is proposed. Bibliography: 148 references.     

Synthesis of Dimethyl Ether from CO Hydrogenation： a Thermodynamic Analysis of the Influence of Water Gas Shift Reaction

Three reactions involved in dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis from CO hydrogenation: methanol synthesis reaction (MSR), methanol dehydration reaction (MDR) and water gas shift reaction (WGSR) are studied by thermodynamic calculation. For demonstrating this process in detail, three models, MSR,MSR MDR, MSR MDR WGSR, are used. Their basic characteristics can be obtained by varying widely the ratios of H2 to CO in the feed (no CO2). Through thermodynamic analysis a chemical synergic effect obviously exists in the second and third models. By comparison between two models it is found that WGSR plays a special role in dimethyl ether synthesis. It is possible for the two models to shift one to the other by regulating CO2 concentration in feed. For Model 2, the selectivity for DME in oxygenates (DME methanol) does not change with the ratio of H2 to CO.     

Macrocyclic Cyclooctene-Supported AlCl–Salen Catalysts for Conjugated Addition Reactions: Effect of Linker and Support Structure on Catalysis

AlCl–salen (salen=N,N′-bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine dianion) catalysts supported onto macrocyclic oligomeric cyclooctene through linkers of varying length and flexibility have been developed to demonstrate the importance of support architecture on catalyst activity. The role played by the support and the linkers in dictating catalyst activity was found to vary for reactions with contrasting mechanisms, such as the bimetallic cyanide and the monometallic indole addition reactions. While the flexible support significantly enhanced the cyanide addition reaction, most likely by improving salen–salen interactions in the transition state, it lowered the reaction rate for the monometallic indole reaction. For both reactions, significant increase in catalytic activity was observed for catalysts with the longest linkers. The effect of the flexible macrocyclic support on catalysis was further exemplified by the enhanced activity of the supported catalyst in comparison with its unsupported analogue for the conjugate addition of tetrazoles, which is known to be catalyzed by dimeric μ-oxo–salen catalysts. Our studies with the cyclooctene supported AlCl–salen catalysts provides significant insights for rationally designing highly efficient AlCl–salen catalysts for a diverse set of reactions.     

Mesoporous Nickel–Alumina Catalysts for Hydrogen Production by Steam Reforming of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

Recent progress on the mesoporous nickel–alumina catalysts for hydrogen production by steam reforming of liquefied natural gas (LNG) was reported in this review. A number of mesoporous nickel–alumina composite catalysts were prepared by a single-step surfactant-templating method using cationic, anionic, and non-ionic surfactant as structure-directing agents for use in hydrogen production by steam reforming of LNG. For comparison, nickel catalysts supported on mesoporous aluminas were also prepared by an impregnation method. The effect of preparation method and surfactant identity on physicochemical properties and catalytic activities of mesoporous nickel–alumina catalysts in the steam reforming of LNG was investigated. Regardless of preparation method and surfactant identity, nickel oxide species were finely dispersed on the surface of mesoporous nickel–alumina catalysts through the formation of surface nickel aluminate phase. However, nickel dispersion and nickel surface area of mesoporous nickel–alumina catalysts were strongly affected by the preparation method and surfactant identity. It was found that nickel surface area of mesoporous nickel–alumina catalyst served as one of the important factors determining the catalytic performance in hydrogen production by steam reforming of LNG. Among the catalysts tested, a mesoporous nickel–alumina composite catalyst prepared by a single-step non-ionic surfactant-templating method exhibited the best catalytic performance due to its highest nickel surface area.     

Effect of Addition of Base on Ceria and Reactivity of CuO/CeO2 Catalysts for Low-Temperature CO Oxidation

In this work, we have reported the influence of the addition of base (KOH) on the physicochemical property of ceria synthesized by alcohothermal process, and the alcohothermal mechanism was also put forward. Furthermore, the prepared CeO2 was used as the support to prepare CuO/CeO2 catalysts via the wet impregnation method. The samples were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and temperature-programmed reduction by H2 (H2-TPR). The catalytic properties of the CuO/CeO2 catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation were studied using a microreactor-GC system. The crystal size of CeO2-A was much smaller than that of CeO2-B, and the corresponding copper oxide catalysts exhibited higher catalytic activity than that of the CeO2-B-supported catalysts under the same reaction conditions. The alcohothermal mechanism indicated that KOH plays a key role in determining the physicochemical and catalytic properties of ceria-based materials.     

Gas Phase Polymerisation of Ethylene with Supported Titanium-Nickel Catalysts

Olefins gas phase polymerization uses generally supported titanium catalyst systems inindustrial production. The polymerization of olefins with late transition metal catalysthas recently attracted considerable interestl-2. The new catalyst family shares many ofthe advantages of metallocene catalysts in terms of activity and control of polymerproperties and, in addition, the new catalysts yield homopolymer of ethylene with veryhigh branching degrees and branching degree can be controlled.A new …     

Emission Spectrometric Evaluation of a Hollow-Cathode Glow Discharge Plasma with Helium–Oxygen Mixed Gas for Surface Modification of Co–Cr–Mo Alloy

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - This paper represents emission spectrometric analysis of a hollow-cathode glow discharge plasma with helium–oxygen mixed gas for surface treatment of...     

First-Principles Evaluation of One-Dimensional Metal-Organic Frameworks for Electrocatalytic C−H Activation of Natural Gas

To replace the oxygen evolution reaction with thermodynamically more favorable and economically more profitable methane and ethane (the major components of natural gas) electrochemical partial oxidation, we employed constant electrode potential density functional theory calculations to screen 20 one-dimensional metal-organic frameworks containing heteroatom-substituted benzene as electrocatalysts. By computing the Pourbaix diagrams, O−H binding energies, and C−H activation barriers, we determined that although none of these catalysts were able to activate methane, one was able to hydroxylate ethane to ethanol with facile kinetics, making it a promising electrocatalyst for natural gas oxidation.     

Determination of Volatiles in Water Lily Flowers Using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Volatile organic compounds in the stamens, petals, and pistils of 56 water lily cultivars were determined by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The stamens released a majority of the volatiles. A total of 117 volatile organic compounds were determined. Alkanes and alkenes were the most abundant, followed by aldehydes and ketones. Cluster analysis was used to divide the cultivars into three subsets characterized by specific aromatic compounds and associated aromas. Discriminant analysis confirmed the results of the cluster analysis. Three tropical water lily cultivars Colorata, 34, and Ai Ji Bai and one hardy water lily cultivar Somptuosa had particularly high aromatic compound concentrations and are recommended to produce fragrant, colorful, and hardy specimens.     

High-Sensitivity and High-Performance Determination of Trace Aluminum in Water for Pharmaceutical Purposes by Microwave Plasma and Inductively Coupled Plasma–Atomic Emission Spectrometry

Procedures for the determination of aluminum in water for injections (Aqua ad iniectabilia) and high-purity water (Aqua valde purificata) at a level of several µg?L^?1 using atomic-emission spectrometry with a novel microwave plasma (MP–AES) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP–AES) are proposed. Regardless of the atomic-emission technique used, the procedure for aluminum needs no sample preparation (acidification only), no preconcentration, shows high sensitivity (limits of detection of 0.4 and 0.7?µg?L^?1 for ICP–AES and MP–AES with a polymeric inert concentric nebulizer, respectively, and 0.03?µg?L^?1 for ICP–AES with an ultrasonic nebulizer), high precision (repeatability, relative standard deviation, <5%), and high throughput (25 samples per hour), and is considerably simpler and more expedient from the viewpoint of the analysis cost and time compared with the standard spectrofluorimetric procedure of the US and the European Pharmacopoeia.     

Synergistic Activation of Amides and Hydrocarbons for Direct C(sp3)–H Acylation Enabled by Metallaphotoredox Catalysis

The utilizations of omnipresent, thermodynamically stable amides and aliphatic C(sp³)−H bonds for various functionalizations are ongoing challenges in catalysis. In particular, the direct coupling between the two functional groups has not been realized. Here, we report the synergistic activation of the two challenging bonds, the amide C−N and unactivated aliphatic C(sp³)−H, via metallaphotoredox catalysis to directly acylate aliphatic C−H bonds utilizing amides as stable and readily accessible acyl surrogates. N-acylsuccinimides served as efficient acyl reagents for the streamlined synthesis of synthetically useful ketones from simple C(sp³)−H substrates. Detailed mechanistic investigations using both computational and experimental mechanistic studies were performed to construct a detailed and complete catalytic cycle. The origin of the superior reactivity of the N-acylsuccinimides over other more reactive acyl sources such as acyl chlorides was found to be an uncommon reaction pathway which commences with C−H activation prior to oxidative addition of the acyl substrate.     

Anchoring BaII to Pd/HyWO3−x Nanowires Promotes a Photocatalytic Reverse Water–Gas Shift Reaction

Surface deposition of Ba^II on Pd/H_yWO_3−x nanowires was developed by using a solution-phase atomic layer deposition process. The procedure involves the generation of Brønsted surface OH sites by H₂ spillover on Pd/WO₃, which can then hydrolytically condense with Ba(OEt)₂ to produce surface Ba^II. At just 0.2 at % Ba, CO production by the light-assisted activity of the reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction was observed to increase by about 300 %. In situ DRIFTS studies suggested enhanced CO₂ capturing capabilities of a Ba-decorated surface. This study further exemplifies the importance of surface chemistry in optimizing materials for catalysis.