Inorganic molecular sieves: Preparation,modification and industrial application in catalytic processes

The increasing environmental concern and promotion of “green processes” are forcing the substitution of traditional acid and base homogeneous catalysts by solid ones. Among these heterogeneous catalysts, zeolites and zeotypes can be considered as real “green” catalysts, due to their benign nature from an environmental point of view. The importance of these inorganic molecular sieves within the field of heterogeneous catalysis relies not only on their microporous structure and the related shape selectivity, but also on the flexibility of their chemical composition. Modification of the zeolite framework composition results in materials with acidic, basic or redox properties, whereas multifunctional catalysts can be obtained by introducing metals by ion exchange or impregnation procedures, that can catalyze hydrogenation–dehydrogenation reactions, and the number of commercial applications of zeolite based catalysts is continuously expanding.In this review we discuss determinant issues for the development of zeolite based catalysts, going from zeolite catalyst preparation up to their industrial application. Concerning the synthesis of microporous materials we present some of the new trends moving into larger pore structures or into organic free synthesis media procedures, thanks to the incorporation of novel organic templates or alternative framework elements, and to the use of high-throughput synthesis methods. Post-synthesis zeolite modification and final catalyst conformation for industrial use are briefly discussed.In a last section we give a thorough overview on the application of zeolites in industrial processes. Some of them are well established mature technologies, such as fluid catalytic cracking, hydrocracking or aromatics alkylation. Although the number of zeolite structures commercially used as heterogeneous catalysts in these fields is limited, the development of new catalysts is a continuous challenge due to the need for processing heavier feeds or for increasing the quality of the products. The application of zeolite based catalysts in the production of chemicals and fine chemicals is an emerging field, and will greatly depend on the discovery of new or known structures by alternative, lower cost, synthesis routes, and the fine tuning of their textural properties. Finally, biomass conversion and selective catalytic reduction for conversion of NOx are two active research fields, highlighting the interest in these potential industrial applications.     

Carbohydrates as building blocks of privileged ligands

“Privileged ligands” are chiral auxiliaries of wide applicability in asymmetric catalysis. In the previous decades, their effective three-dimensional structures have often been reproduced by using building blocks from a “chiral pool”, such as the carbohydrates. This strategy has provided unique ligand moieties which combine the performance of “privileged ligands” with increased flexibility and accessibility. This review gives an overview of the research within this field, giving emphasis to the best results obtained with each ligand type.     

Synthesis of chromogenic crown ethers and liquid-liquid extraction of alkali metal ions

New crown ethers carrying a pendent phenolic chromophore were synthesized. These crown ethers, on dissociation of the phenolic proton, provide lipophilic anions which can extract alkali metal cations into 1,2-dichloroethane by forming highly-colored uncharged metal complexes. Structural effects on the extraction were studied for possible use of these crown ethers as extraction—spectrophotometric reagents selective for alkali metals. The following factors are discussed in detail: (i) nature of the crown ether ring (ring size. aza-crown or standard crown ether), (ii) nature of the pendent phenolic group, and (iii) geometry between the crown ether center and pendent phenolic group. 15-Crown-5 or smaller ring-sized reagents favored the extraction of lithium ion when the basicity of the pendent phenolate was relatively high and a six-membered “chelate” ring was possible for the phenolate and the crown ether-bound metal. 15-Crown-5 type reagents were sodium-selective when an eight-membered “chelate” ring was possible between the phenolate and the crown ether-bound metal. 18-Crown-6 type reagents were generally potassium-selective. However, these selectivities were not absolute, and other structural parameters, steric and conformational, must be considered to explain in detail the selectivities of the individual reagents.     

Constituent units and framework conformations in zeolite networks

The building units of known zeolite networks have been reinvestigated and related to the framework density. Only a relatively small number of four-connected nets, which can be generated readily from observed constituent units, are “permissible” zeolite networks. Criteria for gauging the “permissibility” of zeolite-type networks in terms of geometrical constraints caused by conformational requirements have been investigated.     

Pyramidal Carbocations

Pyramidal cations are discussed with reference to their role as the connecting link between organic and inorganic chemistry. The electronic structure of these ions is treated with respect to their physical and chemical properties, namely charge distribution, geometry, and quenching reactions with nucleophiles. The chemistry in the gas phase of certain carbenium ions, in particular the scrambling of carbon atoms, is readily explicable by invoking transition states or intermediates of pyramidal structure. Moreover, the behavior of unimolecular processes can be understood in terms of transition states in which a hydrogen molecule is positioned as a “side-on” or an “end-on” ligand.     

Interrupted Chalcogenide‐Based Zeolite‐Analogue Semiconductor: Atomically Precise Doping for Tunable Electro‐/Photoelectrochemical Properties

Incorporation of semiconductor property into zeolite materials is a plausible approach to graft oxide zeolites with multifunctionality in which both electronic/optoelectronic functions and high porosity are integrated. However, creating such semiconductor zeolites, especially the ones with controllable function regulation still remains as a great synthetic challenge over the years. Hereby, we reported the first case of an interrupted chalcogenide‐based zeolite‐analog semiconductor with an entirely new boracite‐related framework and specific sites at the interrupted section. The semiconducting nature and band structure of this open‐framework n‐type semiconductor material were characterized with solid‐state UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and Mott–Schottky measurements. More importantly, the In–Se chalcogenide zeolite analog was for the first time explored as an effective electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The specific indium sites served as active centers and proved to be responsible for a superior ORR activity. Meanwhile, these specific sites could be precisely replaced by bismuth(III) ions, leading to facile manipulation in their electro‐/photoelectrochemical properties. Such atomically precise doping successfully implemented at the semiconductor zeolite material with specifically interrupted sites presents a very promising route for accurately regulating electronic structure and photoelectrical properties of other open‐framework semiconductor materials.     

多级孔Beta沸石合成研究进展

沸石分子筛是许多工业过程中不可缺少的催化剂。其中,Beta沸石因其具有三维大微孔结构而成为生产广泛并且具有重要工业意义的沸石材料之一。与传统微孔Beta沸石相比,多级孔Beta沸石具有更小的空间位阻,更高的传质效率等诸多优点,从而能减少其在作为催化剂时积碳的形成,从而延长催化剂的使用寿命,提高催化剂利用效率。本文以Beta沸石为代表,从“自下而上”（直接合成）和“自上而下”（后期修饰）两种策略详细地介绍了多级孔沸石合成的研究进展,对硬模板剂法、软模板剂法、无介孔模板剂法、脱铝法和脱硅法进行了全面的介绍,并简要介绍了多级孔Beta沸石的特点,最后总结了各种合成方法的优点及存在的问题并对其未来发展前景进行了展望。     

Chelate and intramolecular ion-pair formation: A guiding concept for structure/selectivity relationships in the liquid-liquid extraction of alkali and alkaline earth metal ions by anionic crown ether derivatives

Crown ether dyes with pendent anionic side-arms were synthesized for extractionspectrophotometry of alkali and alkaline earth metal ions. Dramatic changes in metal selectivity were obtained simply by changing the nature of the anionic side-arm on the same crown ether skeleton. A structure/metal selectivity relationship is discussed in detail in terms of “chelate” and “intramolecular ion-pair” formation. Small metal cations (high charge density) are preferred in the extraction by a crown ether reagent with a charge-localized anionic side-arm through the formation of a “chelate”. Large metal cations (low charge density) are preferred in the extraction by reagents with a charge-delocalized anionic side-arm through the formation of an “intramolecular ion-pair”. Steric restrictions imposed by the side-arm on the metal ion approaching the crown ether are also important factor in controlling the selectivity of these reagents.     

New anhydrous fluorinating systems: The combination of crown-ethers and cesium fluoride. A relative rate study.

New, anhydrous fluorinating systems are presented. 18-Crown-6 or dibenzo-24-crown-8 act as solid-liquid phase transfer catalysts with cesium fluoride. A catalytic amount of these crown ethers with CsF increased the rate of fluorodestannylation of trialkyltin mercaptides (used as a good fluoride probe) by a factor of 5–7. In addition, alkyl bromides, such as benzyl bromide, reacted in a similar way. Kinetic evidence for “sandwich” or “edge” complexes with the cesium cation and 18-crown-6 is presented.     

Efficient One-pot Zeolite Synthesis Protocol from the Metastable *BEA to MTW Topology and Its Impact on the Methanol-to-Hydrocarbons Process

The inter-zeolite conversion is a method to convert one meta-stable zeolite to a thermodynamically stable zeolite. Despite the enormous interest, this method is yet to be popularized or standardized in the zeolite community. Intending to provide more insights into hydrothermal conversions from one zeolite to another, this work developed a novel one-pot and flexible synthetic protocol to efficiently obtain the meta-stable *BEA topology and its derived MTW topology by varying the hydrothermal crystallization time. This inter-zeolite conversion process led to changes in the zeolite framework and modified physicochemical properties during the process. Such a transformation was feasible by forming hierarchical zeolite phases sharing a similar “mtw”-based common building units, possibly driving such conversion. The structure-reactivity relationship of four different zeolite materials, synthesized from this one-pot inter-zeolite conversion method, was established concerning their performance in the methanol-to-hydrocarbon (MTH) process, which has been well supported by operando UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopic study coupled with online mass spectrometry and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. As a result, the pathway to synthesize various target zeolites from an identical initial synthesis gel with desired physicochemical properties has been scrutinized.     

Optimal strategies for virtual screening of induced-fit and flexible target in the 2015 D3R Grand Challenge

Induced fit or protein flexibility can make a given structure less useful for docking and/or scoring. The 2015 Drug Design Data Resource (D3R) Grand Challenge provided a unique opportunity to prospectively test optimal strategies for virtual screening in these type of targets: heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), a protein with multiple ligand-induced binding modes; and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 4 (MAP4K4), a kinase with a large flexible pocket. Using previously known co-crystal structures, we tested predictions from methods that keep the receptor structure fixed and used (a) multiple receptor/ligand co-crystals as binding templates for minimization or docking (“close”), (b) methods that align or dock to a single receptor (“cross”), and (c) a hybrid approach that chose from multiple bound ligands as initial templates for minimization to a single receptor (“min-cross”). Pose prediction using our “close” models resulted in average ligand RMSDs of 0.32 and 1.6 Å for HSP90 and MAP4K4, respectively, the most accurate models of the community-wide challenge. On the other hand, affinity ranking using our “cross” methods performed well overall despite the fact that a fixed receptor cannot model ligand-induced structural changes,. In addition, “close” methods that leverage the co-crystals of the different binding modes of HSP90 also predicted the best affinity ranking. Our studies suggest that analysis of changes on the receptor structure upon ligand binding can help select an optimal virtual screening strategy.     

Recent Insights into Inhibition,Structure, and Mechanism of Configuration-Retaining Glycosidases

Not “from above”, but “from the side” : Configuration-retaining β-glycosidases protonate their substrate either anti or syn to the endocyclic C1−O bond as the first step in the enzymic cleavage of the glycosidic bond (see schematic drawing). Insights into the mechanism of action of glycosidases have been gained by a combination of the synthesis of inhibitors, the study of the kinetics of their inhibition, and the analysis of the crystal structures of glycosidases and glycosidase–ligand complexes.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of (dibenzo-18-crown-6)(iodo)(trichlorometane)potassium

A new complex compound (dibenzo-18-crown-6)(iodo)(trichlorometane)potassium was obtained. Its crystal structure was studied by X-ray structural analysis. The complex molecule is built by the “guest-host” type: its K⁺ cation is in the crown ligand hollow and is coordinated via its all six O atoms, and also via the iodine ligand I and one Cl atom of the ligand CHCl₃ molecule. The coordination polyhedron of this K⁺ cation is a slightly distorted hexagonal bipyramid. In the crystal structure the complex molecules are connected in infinite chains by intercomplex hydrogen bonds Cl₃C-H?I ⁱ between the ligand molecule CHCl₃ and the iodine ligand of a neighboring complex molecule.     

Novel calix[4]cryptands: “Mappemonde II” and “Mill II”

Two novel calix[4]cryptands were synthesized from 1,3‐alternate calix[4]bis‐azacrown. “Mappemonde II” consists of one 1,3‐calix[4]bis‐azacrown wrapped by a benzo‐crown ether loop. “Mill II” is composed of two 1,3‐calix[4]bis‐azacrowns linked by two benzo‐crown ether strands.     

Peripheral Templation‐Modulated Interconversion between an A4L6 Tetrahedral Anion Cage and A2L3 Triple Helicate with Guest Capture/Release

An anion‐coordination‐based A₄L₆ (“A” denotes anion and “L” is ligand) tetrahedral cage was constructed by a C₂‐symmetric bis‐bis(urea) ligand and phosphate anion, which showed reversible interconversion with the A₂L₃ triple helicate as a response to the template, concentration, or solvent. Notably, an unusual “peripheral” templation was found to be critical to stabilize the tetrahedral structure. This peripheral effect was utilized to assemble an “empty” A₄L₆ cage that allows the multi‐stimuli‐controlled capture/release of biologically important species such as choline and acetylcholine.     

Evidence for Dual Pathway in Through‐Space Singlet Energy Transfers in Flexible Cofacial Bisporphyrin Dyads

Flexible “pacman” scaffolds built upon a calix[4]arene platform bearing a [18]crown‐6 ether and either two OH functions or two OPr groups at the lower rim have been used to generate donor–acceptor (D–A) dyads incorporating a zinc–porphyrin donor and a free‐base porphyrin acceptor. Through‐space singlet energy transfer (SET) in the D–A dyads was studied by time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Although the effects of conformational changes are well documented when the chromophores switch from a non‐cofacial to a cofacial arrangement, little is known about flexible pacman scaffolds in which the changes are limited to the distance between the chromophores. The known SET rates for reported, geometrically well‐defined, rigid pacman D–A dyads were used as calibration to estimate the D–A distances in the flexible pacman dyads. Due to the flexibility of the calix[4]arene spacer, the D–A dyads adopt a “closed” or “open” geometry that is tuned by intramolecular hydrogen bonds (O? H???[18]crown‐6 ether) and by solvent interactions. Changes in the SET rates between the open and closed geometries were surprisingly less dramatic than expected, and are explained by a dual SET pathway that is specific to the calix[4]arene platform. Time‐resolved fluorescence studies support the hypothesis that, for the “open” conformer, the preferred through space SET pathway (i.e., at the shortest distance) is located within the calix[4]arene cavity through the cofacial phenyl groups. For the “closed” conformer, the preferred through space SET route is located between the zinc and free‐base porphyrins.     

Targeted Synthesis of Ultrastable High‐Silica RHO Zeolite Through Alkali Metal–Crown Ether Interaction

High‐silica RHO zeolite was directly synthesized using an alkali metal‐crown ether (AMCE) complex as organic structure‐directing agent (OSDA). Derived from the UV‐vis spectra and zeolite patterns, the crown ether‐cesium cation interaction was found to have crucial effect on the enhancement of silica content within the zeolite framework. The synthesized RHO zeolites possess up to four times larger silica/alumina ratio (SAR) values than that in their conventional form, which gives them extraordinarily rigid frameworks even after hydrothermal aging under 800 °C. Compared to commercial zeolites, copper‐exchanged high‐silica RHO zeolites demonstrate considerably high reaction activity in NO_X removal, making them promising candidates for diesel exhaust treatment.     

Computer modeling of the dynamic properties of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit

The structural dynamics of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit were modeled using molecular dynamics computational methods. It was shown that the structure of this protein as well as its complexes with ATP and peptide ligand PKI(5-24) consisted of a large number of rapidly inter-converting conformations which could be grouped into subsets proceeding from their similarity. This cluster analysis revealed that conformations which correspond to the “opened” and “closed” structures of the protein were already present in the free enzyme, and most surprisingly co-existed in enzyme–ATP and enzyme–PKI(5-24) complexes as well as in the ternary complex, which included both of these ligands. The results also demonstrated that the most mobile structure segments of the protein were located in the regions of substrate binding sites and that their dynamics were most significantly affected by the binding of the ATP and peptide ligand.     

Novel Strategy for the Synthesis of Ultra-Stable Single-Site Mo-ZSM-5 Zeolite Nanocrystals

The current energy transition presents many technological challenges, such as the development of highly stable catalysts. Herein, we report a novel “top-down” synthesis approach for preparation of a single-site Mo-containing nanosized ZSM-5 zeolite which has atomically dispersed framework-molybdenum homogenously distributed through the zeolite crystals. The introduction of Mo heals most of the native point defects in the zeolite structure resulting in an extremely stable material. The important features of this single-site Mo-containing ZSM-5 zeolite are provided by an in-depth spectroscopic and microscopic analysis. The material demonstrates superior thermal (up to 1000 °C), hydrothermal (steaming), and catalytic (converting methane to hydrogen and higher hydrocarbons) stability, maintaining the atomically disperse Mo, structural integrity of the zeolite, and preventing the formation of silanols.     

Response surface methodology in drug design: A case study on docking analysis of a potent antifungal fluconazole

Molecular docking is a valuable in silico technique for discovery/design of bioactive compounds. A current challenge within docking simulations is the incorporation of receptor flexibility. A useful strategy toward solving such problem would be the docking of a typical ligand into the multiple conformations of the target. In this study, a multifactor response surface model was constructed to estimate the AutoDock based binding free energy of fluconazole within multiple conformations of 14α-demethylase (CYP51) (cross docking) as a validated antifungal target. On the basis of developed models, individual and interactive effects of important experimental parameters on cross docking of fluconazole were elucidated. For this purpose, a set of high-resolution holo crystallographic structures from CYP51 of human pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi were retrieved to statistically model the binding mode and affinity of fluconazole. The changes of AutoDock binding free energy for the complexes of CYP51-fluconazole were elucidated with the simultaneous variations of six independent variables including grid size, grid spacing, number of genetic algorithm (GA) runs, maximum number of energy evaluations, torsion degrees for ligand and quaternion degrees for ligand. It was revealed that grid spacing (distance between adjacent grid points) and maximum number of energy evaluations were two significant model terms. It was also revealed that grid size, torsion degrees for ligand and quaternion degrees for ligand had insignificant effects on estimated binding energy while the effect of GA runs was non-significant. The interactive effect of “torsion degrees for ligand” with number of GA runs was found to be the significant factor. Other important interactive effects were the interaction of “number of GA runs” with “grid spacing” and “number of energy evaluations” with “grid size”. Furthermore; results of modeling studies within several CYP51 conformations exhibited that “number of GA runs” and “number of energy evaluations” were less sensitive to varied target conformations.