Heterogeneous Catalysis and Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization

Parahydrogen-induced polarization with heterogeneous catalysts (HET-PHIP) has been a subject of extensive research in the last decade since its first observation in 2007. While NMR signal enhancements obtained with such catalysts are currently below those achieved with transition metal complexes in homogeneous hydrogenations in solution, this relatively new field demonstrates major prospects for a broad range of advanced fundamental and practical applications, from providing catalyst-free hyperpolarized fluids for biomedical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to exploring mechanisms of industrially important heterogeneous catalytic processes. This review covers the evolution of the heterogeneous catalysts used for PHIP observation, from metal complexes immobilized on solid supports to bulk metals and single-atom catalysts and discusses the general visions for maximizing the obtained NMR signal enhancements using HET-PHIP. Various practical applications of HET-PHIP, both for catalytic studies and for potential production of hyperpolarized contrast agents for MRI, are described.     

Catalytic Enantioselective Flow Processes with Solid‐Supported Chiral Catalysts

Sustainability concerns are the wind in the sails for the development of novel, more selective catalytic processes. Hence, chiral catalysts play a crucial role in the green production of enantioenriched compounds. To further increase the green profile of this approach, the use of solid‐supported catalytic species is appealing due to the reduced generation of waste, as well as the possibility of reusing the precious catalyst. Even more attractive is the implementation of flow processes based on these immobilized catalysts, a flexible strategy that allows to generate from milli‐ to multi‐gram amounts of chiral product with a reduced footprint set‐up. Herein, we will present the efforts devoted in our laboratory towards the immobilization of chiral catalysts and their use in single‐pass, highly enantioselective, flow processes. Proline, diarylprolinols, other aminocatalysts, squaramides, thioureas, phosphoric acids and even chiral ligands and metal‐based catalysts constitute our current toolkit of supported species for enantioselective catalysis.     

分子筛上糖类催化转化的核磁共振研究

葡萄糖、 果糖和木糖等糖类是一类重要的绿色生物质资源, 其高效利用是生物质转化的重要研究方向. 具有Lewis酸性的分子筛在糖类催化转化中表现出优异的性能, 对其活性中心结构、 性质以及反应机理的认识是糖类高效转化研究中亟待解决的关键科学问题. 核磁共振是分子筛上活性中心表征和反应机理研究的重要手段. 本文讨论了先进核磁共振技术与方法在分子筛上糖类转化反应中的应用, 包括催化剂活性中心表征、 催化转化反应机理研究和催化反应产物分析3个方面, 总结了核磁共振在糖类转化反应研究中所取得的新进展并对其未来发展方向进行了展望.     

Review: active homogeneous reagents and catalysts in n-alkane activation

The development of selective, efficient, and direct routes for activation and functionalization of naturally abundant n-alkanes could lead to a new paradigm in materials and energy technologies. In this context, the use of homogeneous catalysts to functionalize C–H bonds of unactivated hydrocarbons is of particular interest from a scientific as well as an economic viewpoint. Despite the large body of work on stoichiometric C–H activation reactions produced over the last three decades, relatively few systems have been developed to allow catalytic functionalization of hydrocarbons. This review deals with homogeneous catalytic processes available in the literature for paraffin activation and functionalization. The key intermediates involved in catalytic systems are highlighted, providing important information in the design of new and efficient catalysts. Also, some of the key challenges and approaches to rational development of the next generation of organometallic catalysts will be highlighted.     

Frontiers in catalytic nitrile hydration: Nitrile and cyanohydrin hydration catalyzed by homogeneous organometallic complexes

Acrylic monomers are a significant part of the global economy, contributing to the manufacture of over a billion tons of diverse polymeric consumer products every year. The development of more efficient, greener methods to manufacture this highly demanded class of compounds is an important goal in the realization of a sustainable chemical industry. The pursuit of environmentally benign production processes has inspired a rich body of industrial and academic research on methods for the catalytic hydration of nitriles, and this review surveys both established and newer methods of generating acrylic amides, acids, and esters from nitrile and cyanohydrin substrates. The review also examines synthetic and mechanistic studies of homogeneously catalyzed nitrile hydration reactions with an emphasis on explicating the parameters that impact catalyst performance. The final section is a discussion of catalyst properties, gleaned from the mechanistic studies, that will be useful in designing the next generation of nitrile hydration catalysts.     

Exploring catalytic solid/liquid interfaces by in situ attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy

In situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy has gained considerable attention as a powerful tool for exploring processes occurring at solid/liquid and solid/liquid/gas interfaces as encountered in heterogeneous catalysis and electrochemistry. Understanding of the molecular interactions occurring at the surface of a catalyst is not only of fundamental interest but constitutes the basis for a rational design of heterogeneous catalytic systems. Infrared spectroscopy has the exceptional advantage to provide information about structure and environment of molecules. In the last decade, in situ ATR-FT-IR has been developed rapidly and successfully applied for unraveling processes occurring at solid/liquid interfaces. Additionally, the kinetics of complex reactions can be followed by quantifying the concentration of products and reactants simultaneously in a non-destructive way. In this tutorial review we discuss some key aspects which have to be taken into account for successful application of in situ ATR-FT-IR to examine solid/liquid catalytic interfaces, including different experimental aspects concerned with the internal reflection element, catalyst deposition, cell design, and advanced experimental methods and spectrum analysis. Some of these aspects are illustrated using recent examples from our research. Finally, the potential and some limitations of ATR will be elucidated.     

Hard X-ray Spectroscopic Nano-Imaging of Hierarchical Functional Materials at Work

Heterogeneous catalysts often consist of an active metal (oxide) in close contact with a support material and various promoter elements. Although macroscopic properties, such as activity, selectivity and stability, can be assessed with catalyst performance testing, the development of relevant, preferably quantitative structure–performance relationships require the use of advanced characterisation methods. Spectroscopic imaging in the hard X-ray region with nanometer-scale resolution has very recently emerged as a powerful approach to elucidate the hierarchical structure and related chemistry of catalytic solids in action under realistic reaction conditions. This X-ray-based chemical imaging method benefits from the combination of high resolution (∼30 nm) with large X-ray penetration and depth of focus, and the possibility for probing large areas with mosaic imaging. These capabilities make it possible to obtain spatial and temporal information on chemical changes in catalytic solids as well as a wide variety of other functional materials, such as fuel cells and batteries, in their full complexity and integrity. In this concept article we provide details on the method and setup of full-field hard X-ray spectroscopic imaging, illustrate its potential for spatiotemporal chemical imaging by making use of recent showcases, outline the pros and cons of this experimental approach and discuss some future directions for hierarchical functional materials research.     

Towards perfect catalytic asymmetric synthesis: dual activation of the electrophile and the nucleophile

The design and development of new high-performance catalysts for applications in asymmetric catalytic reactions is of ongoing interest in organic chemistry. The combination of a Lewis acid and a Lewis base working in concert is now considered state of the art in stereoselective syntheses. The synergistic activation by two or more reactive centers allows high reaction rates and excellent transfer of stereochemical information. Despite the self-quenching reaction between Lewis acids and Lewis bases that might lead to an inactive catalyst, considerable effort has been directed towards the development of the dual-activation concept. The ultimate goal is to mimic nature by the discovery of catalytic systems analogous to enzymatic processes that involve metal-ion cocatalysts. With this aim, the dual activation concept greatly broadens the range of artificial catalysts. The most efficient catalytic systems are reviewed, and the mechanisms of action are discussed.     

Chiral nonracemic late-transition-metal organometallics with a metal-bonded stereogenic carbon atom: development of new tools for asymmetric organic synthesis

Transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions and the Heck reaction have evolved into powerful tools for the construction of carbon-carbon bonds. In most cases, the reactive organometallic intermediates feature a carbon-transition-metal sigma bond between a sp(2)-hybridized carbon atom and the transition metal (Csp(2)--TM). New, and potentially more powerful approach to transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric organic synthesis would arise if catalytic chiral nonracemic organometallic intermediates with a stereogenic sp(3)-hybridized carbon atoms directly bonded to the transition metal (C*sp(3)--TM bond) could be formed from racemic or achiral organic substrates, and subsequently participate in the formation of a new carbon-carbon bond (C*sp(3)-C) with retention of the stereochemical information. To date, only a few catalytic processes that are based on this concept, have been developed. In this account, both "classical" and recent studies on preparation and reactivity of stable chiral nonracemic organometallics with a metal-bonded stereogenic carbon, which provide the foundation for the future design of new synthetic transformations exploiting the outlined concept, are discussed, along with examples of relevant catalytic processes.     

Sustainable concepts in olefin metathesis

Ruthenium-catalyzed olefin metathesis reactions represent an attractive and powerful transformation for the formation of new carbon-carbon double bonds. This area is now quite familiar to most chemists as numerous catalysts are available that enable a plethora of olefin metathesis reactions. Nevertheless, with the exception of uses in polymerization reactions, only a limited number of industrial processes use olefin metathesis. This is mainly due to difficulties associated with removing ruthenium from the final products. In this context, a number of studies have been carried out to develop procedures for the removal of the catalyst or the products of catalyst decomposition, however, none are universally attractive so far. This situation has resulted in tremendous activity in the area dealing with supported or tagged versions of homogeneous catalysts. This Review summarizes the numerous studies focused on developing cleaner ruthenium-catalyzed metathesis processes.     

Engineering selectivity in heterogeneous catalysis: Ag nanowires as selective ethylene epoxidation catalysts

Controlling selectivity in heterogeneous catalysis is critical for the design of environmentally friendly catalytic processes that minimize the production of undesired byproducts and operate with high energy efficiency. We show that the Ag nanowire catalysts exhibit higher selectivity in the ethylene epoxidation reaction than conventional spherical particle catalysts. The higher selectivity of the nanowire catalysts was attributed to a higher concentration of the Ag(100) surface facets in the nanowire catalysts compared to the particle catalysts. Density functional theory calculations show that the transformation of the surface oxametallacycle intermediate to form the selective product, EO, is more favorable on the Ag(100) than on Ag(111). The studies show that recent advances in the controlled synthesis of uniform nanostructures with well-defined surface facets might provide an important platform for the design of highly selective heterogeneous catalysts.     

同核铁系双金属络合物及其在均相催化体系中的应用

随着合成化学的不断发展,开发高活性催化剂来活化一些惰性化学键或者惰性分子受到越来越多的关注。双核金属络合物作为一类特殊的催化剂展现出了不同于单核金属催化剂的催化活性。在双核过渡金属催化体系中,因两个金属中心存在协同作用而表现出了独特的催化活性。铁、钴、镍为第四周期第VIII族元素,也称为铁系元素。该类金属廉价易得且参与的催化反应种类繁多,近年来引起了人们的广泛关注。本综述重点介绍了近年来同核双金属铁系络合物的合成及其表征。同时,对相关同核铁、钴以及镍催化剂在均相催化体系中的应用也进行了详细的介绍和总结。     

Recent Advances in Chiral Guanidine‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Reactions

Chiral guanidines have been widely used as Brønsted base catalysts and phase transfer catalysts in enantioselective reactions. Due to their amendable structure and powerful catalytic ability, they have attracted much interest. Several new catalysts containing a guanidinium moiety have been reported over the past decade and many promising outcomes have been achieved. This article illustrates the progress of chiral guanidine catalysis in asymmetric synthesis from 2009 to 2018. It is an update of a review of the same title published in 2009.     

New catalysts and processes for environment protection

The results of recent studies in environmental catalysis are considered: design of support and catalysts for processes in moving — and fluidized catalyst beds; design of catalysts and processes for catalytic incineration of fuels and wastes, purification of hydrogen sulfide containing gases via direct catalytic H₂S oxidation to sulfur; design of monolith ceramic honeycomb catalysts for gas purification.     

Pd and Mo Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation

The ability to control the alkylation of organic substrates becomes ever more powerful by using metal catalysts. Among the major benefits of metal catalysis is the possibility to perform such processes asymmetrically using only catalytic amounts of the chiral inducing agent which is a ligand to the metal of the catalyst. A unique aspect of asymmetric metal catalyzed processes is the fact that many mechanisms exist for stereoinduction. Furthermore, using the same catalyst system, many types of bonds including but not limited to C-C, C-N, C-O, C-S, C-P, and C-H can be formed asymmetrically. An overview of this process using palladium and molybdenum based metals being developed in my laboratories and how they influence strategy in synthesizing bioactive molecular targets is presented.     

Kinetic and computational analysis of the palladium(II)-catalyzed asymmetric allylic trichloroacetimidate rearrangement: development of a model for enantioselectivity

The asymmetric rearrangement of allylic trichloroacetimidates catalyzed by palladium(II) complexes of the COP family is a powerful method for the preparation of enantioenriched chiral allylic amines from prochiral allylic alcohols. A detailed kinetic analysis of this reaction was performed to elucidate the rate- and enantiodetermining step of this important reaction. The results of these studies support a cyclization-induced rearrangement mechanism and prompted DFT studies (B3LYP/LACVP**+) of C-N bond formation, believed to be the enantiodetermining step of this catalytic cycle. On the basis of these calculations, a model for enantioinduction was developed, in which the planar chirality of the catalyst controls the enantioselectivity. These studies should allow the rational design of more enantioselective catalysts.     

铂和钯上丙三醇电氧化研究进展：从反应机理到催化材料

生物柴油工业的蓬勃发展带来大量副产品丙三醇(甘油),因此如何将甘油转化为高附加值产品具有重要的研究价值。在各种方法中, 电催化氧化由于其条件温和、环境友好和高效率而备受关注。然而,甘油的电氧化非常复杂,涉及许多反应途径和多个电子和质子转移过程,如何合理设计对目标产物具有高选择性的催化剂是很大的挑战。在本文中, 我们主要概述了铂和钯基催化剂上甘油电氧化研究的最新进展。我们首先总结了基于原位和在线谱学研究以及理论计算获得的影响其电催化活性和选择性的因素。然后,选择代表性文献来说明这些因素如何应用于研制高效甘油电氧化催化剂。最后,提出了未来研究中要解决的关键问题。     

Spectroscopic evidences of EDTA interaction with inorganic supports during the preparation of supported metal catalysts

Chelating compounds (etylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-type reagents) are broadly applied in many chemical processes. One of the possible applications is their use in the preparation of the catalysts. A short summary based on my own experience in the spectroscopic studies on chelating molecules interaction with the surface of inorganic oxides is presented. The application of spectroscopic techniques allow to describe the nature and type of interactions. Particularly, the experiments conducted by an infrared spectroscopy method deliver valuable information which is of great importance for the adsorption and catalytic investigations.     

Grazing-incidence scattering—status and perspectives in soft matter and biophysics

Investigating lateral structures of surfaces and interfaces from the mesoscale down to atomic resolution is of growing interest to modify, functionalize, and understand the behavior of materials in soft matter and biophysics. Grazing-incidence scattering techniques have proven to be very powerful for such kind of studies. Using X-rays and neutrons also buried lateral structures can be accessed in a non-destructive way. The large probed sample area provides a high statistical relevance of the determined structure information, and complex sample environments in combination with in situ and in operando experiments provide the full potential for gaining deep insights in structure formation processes. In the brief review, we reflect on the current state of the art of grazing-incidence scattering techniques using X-rays and neutrons, fields of interest, and applications in soft matter and biophysics, resulting in challenges and providing a short outlook. Owing to the already available literature on X-ray–based techniques, we will set a slight emphasis on neutron-based techniques.     

功能化离子液体的催化作用及其应用

功能化离子液体是将功能团弓l入到离子液体的阳离子或阴离子上,从而赋予离子液体某种特殊性质．将具有催化活性的基团弓I入到离子液体的阳离子或阴离子上所得到的功能化离子液体,是一类新型的催化材料．除了具有优异的催化性能,其特殊的物理化学性质很容易实现产物与催化剂的分离,正在许多重要催化过程中发挥作用．本文主要介绍近年来我们关于功能化离子液体的制备、性质及其在催化反应中的应用等研究,同时指出了目前存在的问题,并对今后发展趋势进行了展望．