Oxidation of Fe(III) to Fe(VI) by the Fe(CN)<Stack><Subscript>6</Subscript><Superscript>3−</Superscript></Stack> ion in strong solution of alkalis

Ferricyanide ions oxidize Fe(III) up to Fe(VI) in 7–11 M KOH solutions and 10–16 M NaOH solutions. The completeness of the oxidation increases with increasing alkali and ferricyanide concentrations. The presence of KNO₂, KAc, and K₂C₂O₄ in 7 M KOH solution increases the Fe(VI) yield. Potassium fluoride in the concentration of 0.02 M does not hinder Fe(VI) formation, but in the concentration of 0.1 M completely suppresses Fe(III) oxidation. The attempt to oxidize Fe(VI) up to Fe(VIII) by the disproportionation of Fe(VI) or by the action of Fe(CN)₆³⁻ and ozone was unsuccessful due to a high oxidation potential of the Fe(VIII)/(VI) couple.     

Phase transformations in the systems Ti<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe–H<Subscript>2</Subscript> and Ti<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe–NH<Subscript>3</Subscript>

The interactions of two-phase alloy Ti₂Fe with hydrogen and ammonia at 100–500°C were studied, the compositions of the products were found, and the conditions for producing hydride and nitride phases were determined. The potential of using the two-phase alloy in a metal hydride hydrogen accumulator operating at 20–600°C was considered.     

Fe or FeNO Catalysis? A Quantum Chemical Investigation of the [Fe(CO)3(NO)]−‐Catalyzed Cloke–Wilson Rearrangement

A quantum chemical investigation of the Bu₄N[Fe(CO)₃(NO)]‐catalyzed Cloke–Wilson rearrangement of vinyl cyclopropanes is reported. It was found that allylic C?C bond activation can proceed through a S_N2′ or S_N2‐type mechanism. The application of the recently reported intrinsic bond orbital (IBO) method for all structures indicated that one Fe?N π bond is directly involved. Further analysis showed that during the reaction oxidation occurs at the NO ligand exclusively.     

Bandgap modification of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> sol–gel films by Fe and Ni doping

Nickle and iron doped TiO₂ thin films were prepared on glass substrates by sol–gel dip coating process. Indirect and direct optical energy gaps were calculated with the incorporation of different concentrations of both the ions. Indirect bandgap was found to be a strong function of the dopant concentration, whereas direct energy gap has negligible dependence on the nature of dopant and its concentration. Direct energy gap has always been found to retain a value higher than the indirect energy gap. Variation of observed energy gap properties shows a trend similar to that reported on the basis of numerical calculations or the samples obtained by other techniques. Increase in refractive index and corresponding density of the film sample does not support the change in turn over frequency. The influence of crystalline phase change is also ruled out by XRD investigations. It is concluded that red shift of band edge absorption takes place by incorporation of dopant and sol–gel dip coating technique offers an effective low cost route to the production of these coatings.     

Fe(iv) alkylidenes via protonation of Fe(ii) vinyl chelates and a comparative M?ssbauer spectroscopic study

Treatment of cis-Me₂Fe(PMe₃)₄ with di-1,2-(E-2-(pyridin-2-yl)vinyl)benzene ((bdvp)H₂), a tetradentate ligand precursor, afforded (bdvp)Fe(PMe₃)₂ (1-PMe₃) and 2 equiv. CH₄, via C–H bond activation. Similar treatments with tridentate ligand precursors PhCHNCH₂(E-CHCHPh) ((pipp)H₂) and PhCHN(2-CCMe-Ph) ((pipa)H) under dinitrogen provided trans-(pipp)Fe(PMe₃)₂N₂ (2) and trans-(pipvd)Fe(PMe₃)₂N₂ (3), respectively; the latter via one C–H bond activation, and a subsequent insertion of the alkyne into the remaining Fe–Me bond. All three Fe(ii) vinyl species were protonated with H[BAr^F ₄] to form the corresponding Fe(iv) alkylidene cations, [(bavp)Fe(PMe₃)₂][BAr^F ₄] (4-PMe₃), [(piap)Fe(PMe₃)₃][BAr^F ₄] (5), and [(pipad)Fe(PMe₃)₃][BAr^F ₄] (6). Mössbauer spectroscopic measurements on the formally Fe(ii) and Fe(iv) derivatives revealed isomer shifts within 0.1 mm s^–1, reflecting the similarity in their bond distances.     

Catalytic properties of Fe/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>–Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> systems,obtained via sol–gel method

The high efficacy of iron-containing catalysts based on SiO₂–Al₂O₃ systems obtained via sol–gel method in the oxidative destruction of carmoisine azo dye in aqueous solutions is demonstrated. It is found that the stability of the catalysts with respect to the leaching of iron ions into a solution during catalysis grows along with the aluminum content in the composition of aluminosilicate supports. It is concluded that the synthesized catalysts are promising materials for purifying wastewaters contaminated with organic dyes.     

Structure,Magnetic and Photochemical Properties of Fe–TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Nanoparticles Stabilized in Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Matrix

Fe–TiO₂ nanoparticles with Fe concentration from 0.24 to 5 wt % were synthesized in a Al₂O₃ matrix through multiple impregnations from organic solutions of Ti n-butoxide and Fe acetylacetonate. Microstructure, morphology and magnetic properties of the composites were studied using X-ray analysis, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive analysis, Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility. It was shown that the deposition of the solution with low concentration of Ti n-butoxide leads to the formation of mostly extensive Fe–TiO₂ films with a small fraction of individual Fe–TiO₂ nanoparticles. On the contrary, the increase of Ti n-butoxide concentration results in the formation of a great number of individual Fe–TiO₂ nanoparticles on Al₂O₃. The size of these particles increases from 2–3 nm to 5–8 nm with the increase of Fe content in the samples from 0.24 to 1.0 (wt %). Mössbauer spectroscopy revealed two types of magnetic ions. The first type of paramagnetic Fe³⁺ demonstrate spin–lattice relaxation properties while another one substitutes Ti⁴⁺ in the TiO₂ structure thus forming Fe–TiO₂ stabilized particles in the matrix. According to the magnetic data antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic types of exchange spin coupling occur in Fe–TiO₂/Al₂O₃ composites. The increase of Fe concentration in the composites from 1 to 5 wt % results in the narrowing of the TiO₂ band gap from 3.2 to 2.7 eV and shifting the absorption edge in visual spectrum from 350–400 to 450–500 nm.     

Selective Hydrogenation of Acetylene and Physicochemical Properties of Pd–Fe/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Bimetallic Catalysts

The selective hydrogenation of acetylene on Pd–Fe/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by decomposition of ferrocene on reduced Pd/Al₂O₃ was studied. The effect of the conditions of treatment of the Pd–ferrocene/ Al₂O₃ precursor on the catalyst activity and selectivity was investigated, and the optimum conditions were determined at which the Pd–Fe/Al₂O₃ catalyst has higher selectivity than Pd/Al₂O₃ without any loss of activity.     

Crystal structure of Pb<Subscript>2</Subscript>[Fe(CN)<Subscript>6</Subscript>]NO<Superscript>3</Superscript>·5.5H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O

Synthesis of a mixed complex compound Pb₂[Fe(CN)₆]NO₃·5.5H₂O is described. The results of its X-ray structural investigation are presented. Crystal data: C₆H₁₁FeN₇O_8.50Pb₂: a = 7.2582(6) Å, b = 21.838(3) Å, c = 11.612(1) Å; β = 107.91(1)°, V = 1751.4(3) ų, Z = 4, d_calc = 2.986 g/cm³, space group P2₁/m, R = 0.038. The compound has a framework polymer structure.     

A study of the aerobic reaction between dopamine and Fe(III) in the presence of S<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript><Superscript>2−</Superscript>

The reaction between Fe(III) and dopamine in aqueous solution in the presence of Na₂S₂O₃ was followed through UV–Vis spectroscopy, pH and oxy-reduction potential (Eh) measurements. The formation and quick disappearing of the complex [Fe(III)HL¹⁻]²⁺, HL¹⁻ = monoprotonated dopamine was observed with or without S₂O₃ ²⁻ at pH 3. An unexpected reaction occurs in presence of thiosulfate forming the stable anion complex [Fe(III)(L²⁻)₂]¹⁻, L²⁻ = dopacatecholate (λ = 580 nm) and the auto-increasing of the pH, from 3 to 7. It was proposed that H⁺ and molecular oxygen are consumed by free radical thiosulfate formed during the reaction.     

Photoelectrochemical performance of bilayered Fe–TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Zn–Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films for solar generation of hydrogen

A visible-light sensitive bilayered photoanode of Fe–TiO₂/Zn–Fe₂O₃ has been developed by spray pyrolytically depositing Zn–Fe₂O₃ layers onto predeposited Fe–TiO₂ thin film on ITO substrate. Fe–TiO₂/Zn–Fe₂O₃ photoelectrodes were characterized by XRD, Raman, AFM, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. Photoelectrochemical properties of bilayered Fe–TiO₂/Zn–Fe₂O₃ photoelectrode were studied by Mott–Schottky curves and I–V characteristics. Bilayered Fe–TiO₂/Zn–Fe₂O₃ photoelectrode was observed to possess much higher separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers and could generate nine times better photocurrent density than pure Fe–TiO₂. Solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency exhibited by this electrode was 0.77%.     

Sb modified Fe–Mn/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> catalyst for the reduction of NO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> with NH<Subscript>3</Subscript> at low temperatures

Manganese-based catalysts have attracted much attention due to their excellent performance for NO reduction with NH₃ (NH₃-SCR) at low temperatures. In the current study, the novel metal Sb was modified into Mn/TiO₂ and Fe–Mn/TiO₂, and the NO _x conversion was compared with those of Mn/TiO₂ and Fe–Mn/TiO₂ catalysts to investigate the effect of the Sb. The NO _x reduction activities of the catalysts were evaluated in the temperature range of 100–250 °C at a space velocity of 60,000 h^?1. The physicochemical properties of all the catalysts were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, temperature-programmed reduction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, the Sb-promoted Mn-based catalysts showed significantly higher NO _x conversion than the other catalysts with or without 6 vol% of H₂O. The high performance of the Sb-modified catalysts could be related to the increase of acid sites and redox properties.     

Microstructure and CO2-absorption in Sr0.95Ca0.05Co0.5Fe0.5O3-&;#948; and Sr0.5Ca0.5Co0.5Fe0.5O3-&;#948;as studied by Emission Mössbauer Spectroscopy

Sr_0.95Ca_0.05Fe_0.5Co_0.5O_3- and Sr_0.5Ca_0.5Fe_0.5Co_0.5O_3- perovskites were studied by ⁵⁷Fe emission Mössbauer spectroscopy. It was found that Co prefers lower valence and lower coordination number than Fe in both compounds. The comparison of the emission and transmission Mössbauer spectra of the CO₂ treated materials revealed a preferred formation of Fe-containing products in reaction with CO₂ in Sr_0.5Ca_0.5Fe_0.5Co_0.5O_3- , and it is proposed that such a reaction can be responsible for phase separation in Sr_0.95Ca_0.05Fe_0.5Co_0.5O_3– after absorption and partial desorption of CO₂ at 950 °C.     

Liquid–Air Interface Self-Assembly of Nanoparticles Synthesized from Reaction Between Fe(dbm)<Subscript>3</Subscript> and Pt(acac)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The liquid–air interface is demonstrated as a method to assemble nanoparticles synthesized from the reaction between iron (III) dibenzoylmethane (Fe(dbm)₃) and platinum acetylacetonate (Pt(acac)₂) into a long range monolayer. These surface-modified particles have average Fe to Pt atomic ratio of 0.77:1. The increase in surfactants further reduces the Fe:Pt ratio and increases the particle diameter to over 4 nm. The self-assembled pattern of FePt-based nanoparticles can be enhanced by dropping nanoparticle suspensions on the surface of diethelyne glycol (DEG). The concentrations of these nanoparticle suspensions in hexane from 0.2 to 0.4 mg/ml can be used without the agglomeration into multilayered islands. The voids in the self-assembled monolayer on the DEG-air interface are reduced to the minimum in the case of the lowest concentration.     

Photochemical replacement of benzene in the tetramethylcyclopentadienyl complex of iron, [η-C<Subscript>5</Subscript>Me<Subscript>4</Subscript>H)Fe(η-C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>6</Subscript>)]<Superscript>+</Superscript>

Irradiation of the cation [η-C₅Me₄H)Fe(η-C₆H₆)]⁺+ (1) and Bu^tNC with visible light in acetonitrile results in the displacement of the benzene ligand, giving [(η-C₅Me₄H)Fe(Bu^tNC)₃]+ (2). Reactions of complex 1 with P(OR)₃ and dppe in M_eCN yield the complexes [(η-C₅Me₄H)-Fe(M_eCN)P(OR)_{3 2}]+ (R = Me (3) and Et (4)) and [(η-C₅Me₄H)Fe(MeCN)(dppe)]+ (5) containing two Fe—P bonds. The same reactions in CH₂Cl₂ give the tris(phosphite) complexes [(η-C₅Me₄H)FeP(OR)_{3 3}]+ (6, 7). A photochemical reaction of complex 1 with pentaphos-phaferrocene Cp*Fe(η-cyclo-P₅) yields the triple-decker cation [(η-C₅Me₄H)Fe(μ-η:η-cyclo-P₅)FeCp*]+ (8) with a bridging pentaphospholyl ligand. Structures [2]PF₆ and [3]PF₆ were identified by X-ray diffraction.     

Photo-catalytic degradation of ibuprofen over the new semiconducting catalyst α-(Cu,Fe)<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> prepared by hydrothermal route

The degradation of ibuprofen (IBP) in aqueous solution was investigated on α-(Cu,Fe)₂O₃ catalyst under visible irradiation. The material was prepared by a hydrothermal method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, BET analysis, electrical conductivity, diffuse reflectance and photo-electrochemistry. α-(Cu,Fe)₂O₃ crystallizes in the corundum structure and exhibit n-type conductivity with activation energy of 0.41 eV. It exhibits a direct optical transition at 2.02 eV; further transitions, indirectly allowed, occur at 1.93 and 1.69 eV. These bands located between those of CuO (~1.46 eV) and Fe₂O₃ (~2 eV) confirm the presence of the solid solution (Cu,Fe)₂O₃; the BET surface area of the sample averages 10 m² g^?1. The IBP photo-degradation, monitored by high performance liquid chromatography was found to have overall high conversion rates. The optimal performance was observed for a catalyst dose of 0.25 g L^?1 and IBP concentration of 200 mg L^?1 at pH ~11. By applying the optimal operating conditions, IBP conversion of 88% was obtained after 240 min under visible illumination.     

Zn<Subscript>0.97</Subscript>M<Subscript>0.03</Subscript>O (M = Co,Fe, and V) pigments: thermal,structural, and optical characterization

Zinc oxide is a widely used white inorganic pigment. Transition metal ions are used as chromophores and originate the ceramic pigments group. In this context, ZnO particles doped with Co, Fe, and V were synthesized by the polymeric precursors method, Pechini method. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG) techniques were used to accurately characterize the distinct thermal events occurring during synthesis. The TG and DSC results revealed a series of decomposition temperatures due to different exothermal events, which were identified as H₂O elimination, organic compounds degradation and phase formation. The samples were structurally characterized by X-Ray diffractometry revealing the formation of single phase, corresponding to the crystalline matrix of ZnO. The samples were optically characterized by diffuse reflectance measurements and colorimetric coordinates L*, a*, b* were calculated for the pigment powders. The pigment powders presented a variety of colors ranging from white (ZnO), green (Zn_0.97Co_0.03O), yellow (Zn_0.97Fe_0.03O), and beige (Zn_0.97V_0.03O).     

Peculiarities of mass transfer and natural convection in the redox system [Fe(CN)<Subscript>6</Subscript>]<Superscript>3−</Superscript>/[Fe(CN)<Subscript>6</Subscript>]<Superscript>4−</Superscript> with current flowing through a microorifice in insulating coating on the electrode

Variations in the current in the [Fe(CN)₆]³⁻/[Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ system flowing through a vertical microorifice in the insulating film on the electrode are shown. Steady- and nonsteady-state conditions of electrolysis are studied for different insulating film thicknesses. The obtained results suggest that at steady-state electrolysis, in an insulator channel, near the electrode, a “stagnant zone” is formed in which the natural convection of electrolyte is weak. Mass transfer in this zone preferentially occurs due to the reagent diffusion. The length of this zone increases with the increase in the channel length. A zone with the natural convection of electrolyte is located at a certain distance from the electrode, closer to the insulator surface. A part of this zone is located in the solution bulk and its thickness is independent of the channel length. The mass transfer in this zone is realized by both the reagent diffusion and the natural convection of electrolyte. Voltammetric measurements show that at sufficiently high potential scanning rates, the peak currents on a planar electrode and on an electrode placed on the bottom of the channel in the insulating film virtually coincide. This result points to the possibility of using potentiodynamic methods for analyzing the electrolyte composition inside the channel and in the solution bulk irrespective of the thickness of the electrode-insulating film.     

Synthesis and thermolysis of lithium aluminum double hydroxide containing [Fe(OH)Edta]<Superscript>2−</Superscript>

The reaction of the chloride form of lithium aluminum layered double hydroxide (Li-Al LDH) with an aqueous solution of NaFeEdta · 2H₂O (pH 3.7) was studied. Anion exchange of chloride ions for [FeEdta]^? anions almost does not occur under the conditions of our experiment. Increasing pH to 8.0 initiates anion exchange of chloride ions for [Fe(OH)Edta]^2? anions, generating Li-Al LDH, whose structure is built of metal-hydroxide layers [LiAl₂(OH)₆]⁺ and layers containing [Fe(OH)Edta]^2? anions and water molecules. Thermolysis of Li-Al-[Fe(OH)Edta] was studied in an inert atmosphere and in vacuo. Heating to 220°C mainly eliminates interlayer water molecules. A further rise in temperature induces the dehydration of metal-hydroxide layers and OH groups of [Fe(OH)Edta]^2? anions and the destruction of the organic component of the anionic complex. At 375°C, an X-ray amorphous product is formed, in which most iron is in the form of Fe²⁺ cations. With increasing thermolysis temperature to 450°C, a magnetically ordered solid phase containing Fe²⁺ cations appears. Further temperature elevation to 550°C generates an α-Fe phase.