Electrochemical Reduction of Oxygen on Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes Electrode in Alkaline Solution

The multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) electrode was constructed using polytetrafluoroethylene as binder, and the electrochemical reductive behavior of oxygen in alkaline solution was first examined on this electrode. Compared with other carbon materials, MWNTs show higher electrocatalytic activity, and the reversibility of O2 reduction reaction is greatly improved. The experiments reveal that the electrochemical reduction of O2 to HO2 is controlled by adsorption. The preliminary results illustrate the potential application of MWNTs in fuel cells.     

High Activity SnO2／Al2O3 Catalyst for NO Reduction in the Presence of Oxygen

The novel sol-gel SnO2/Al2O3 catalysts for selective catalytic reduction NO by propene under lean burn condition were investigated. The results showed thatthe maximum NO conversion was 82% on the SnO2/Al2O3 (5%Sn) catalyst, and the presence of H20 and SO2 improved the catalytic activity at low temperature. The catalytic activity of NO2 reduction by propene is much higher than that of NO at the entire temperature range, and the maximum NO2 conversion reached nearly 100% around the temperature 425℃.     

Methanol Tolerant PWA-Pt/C Catalyst with Excellent Electrocatalytic Activity for Oxygen Reduction in Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

It was reported for the first time that phosphorictungstenic acid （PWA） could promote the oxygen reduction reaction （ORR） and inhibit the methanol oxidation reaction at the cathodic Pt/C catalyst in the direct methanol fuel cell （DMFC）. When the weight ratio of PWA to Pt/C is 1, the composite catalyst increases the reduction current of oxygen by about 38% and decreases the oxidation current of methanol by about 76% compared with that of the Pt/C catalyst.     

Recent Progress in Pt-Based Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction北大核心CSCD

One major challenge for a large-scale commercialization of the proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) technologies that enable a shift to 'zero-emission' personal transportation, is the expensive and unstable Pt catalysts, which are mainly used to catalyze the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) occurred on the air electrode of PEMFCs.Many research works have targets to improve the stability of Pt-based catalysts and to construct Pt/transitional metal alloys with low Pt loading amount.Herein, we provide a minireview for the Pt-based ORR catalysts based on our recent work, which covers a brief background introduction, the stability improvement of pure Pt catalysts, the construction of Pt-alloy type catalysts and a future perspective.It is believed that the alloy catalysts with a sophistical structure design at an atomic level owns a promising future prospect. © 2018 Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.     

Why is hydrofluoric acid a weak acid?

The infrared vibrational spectra of amorphous solid water thin films doped with HF at 40 K reveal a strong continuous absorbance in the 1000-3275 cm(-1) range. This so-called Zundel continuum is the spectroscopic hallmark for aqueous protons. The extensive ionic dissociation of HF at such low temperature suggests that the reaction enthalpy remains negative down to 40 K. These observations support the interpretation that dilute HF aqueous solutions behave as weak acids largely due to the large positive reaction entropy resulting from the structure making character of the hydrated fluoride ion.     

Basic Ionic Liquid： A Reusable Catalyst for Knoevenagel Condensation in Aqueous Media

IntroductionThe Knoevenagel condensation of aldehydes/ketones and activated methylene compounds is one ofthe most common synthetic methods to produce func-tionalized alkenes. Theα,β-unsaturated productsobtained by this method have been widely used as th…     

Why nanoelectrochemistry is necessary in battery research?

The active materials constitute the heart of any battery so that unambiguous determination of their intrinsic properties is of essential importance to achieve progress in battery research. A variety of in situ techniques with high lateral resolution has been developed or adapted for battery research. Surprisingly, nanoelectrochemistry is not attracting sufficient attention from the battery community despite the existing examples of relevant in situ and highly resolved spatiotemporal information. Herein, the important role of nanoelectrochemistry in battery research is highlighted to help encourage its use in this field. In the first part, two examples in which the use of nanoelectrochemistry is a must are provided, that is, determination of intrinsic kinetics of active materials and understanding of relationships between particle structure and electrochemical activity. In the second part, pros and cons of three mature nanoelectrochemistry techniques in battery research, that is, particle-on-a-stick measurements, nanoimpact measurements, and scanning electrochemical probe microscopy, are discussed providing representative examples.     

Why is autophagy important in human diseases?

The process of macroautophagy (referred to hereafter as autophagy), is generally characterized by the prominent formation of autophagic vesicles in the cytoplasm. In the past decades, studies of autophagy have been vastly expanded. As an essential process to maintain cellular homeostasis and functions, autophagy is responsible for the lysosome-mediated degradation of damaged proteins and organelles, and thus misregulation of autophagy can result in a variety of pathological conditions in human beings. Although our understanding of regulatory pathways that control autophagy is still limited, an increasing number of studies have shed light on the importance of autophagy in a wide range of physiological processes and human diseases. The goal of the reviews in the current issue is to provide a general overview of current knowledge on autophagy. The machinery and regulation of autophagy were outlined with special attention to its role in diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, infectious diseases and cancer.     

Why is Firefly Oxyluciferin a Notoriously Labile Substance?

The chemistry of firefly bioluminescence is important for numerous applications in biochemistry and analytical chemistry. The emitter of this bioluminescent system, firefly oxyluciferin, is difficult to handle. The cause of its lability was clarified while its synthesis was reinvestigated. A side product was identified and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography. The reason for the lability of oxyluciferin is now ascribed to autodimerization of the coexisting enol and keto forms in a Mannich‐type reaction.     

Why is Firefly Oxyluciferin a Notoriously Labile Substance?

The chemistry of firefly bioluminescence is important for numerous applications in biochemistry and analytical chemistry. The emitter of this bioluminescent system, firefly oxyluciferin, is difficult to handle. The cause of its lability was clarified while its synthesis was reinvestigated. A side product was identified and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography. The reason for the lability of oxyluciferin is now ascribed to autodimerization of the coexisting enol and keto forms in a Mannich‐type reaction.     

Gold Nanoparticle-based Colorimetric Assay for Determination of Lead(Ⅱ) in Aqueous Media

The authors presented a simple colorimetric assay for the detection of toxic heavy metal lead(Ⅱ) ion(Pb2+).Pentapeptide,cysteine-alanine-leacine-asparagine-asparagine(CALNN),functionalized gold nanoparticles(GNPs) were aggregated in the presence of the divalent metal ion in solution by an ion-templated chelation process,which caused an easily measurable change in the absorption spectrum of the particles.Typically,mono-dispersing GNPs exhibit an absorption band at 522 nm,corresponding to a red color solution,while aggregated GNPs have it at longer wavelengths,corresponding to a purple or blue color solution.The chelation/aggregation process is reversible via the addition of a strong metal ion chelator such as EDTA.Highly selective and sensitive detection of Pb2+ in aqueous solution is thus provided.A detection limit of 0.1 μmol/L of Pb2+ was demonstrated.     

Why are BINOL-based monophosphites such efficient ligands in Rh-catalyzed asymmetric olefin hydrogenation?

Whereas recent synthetic studies concerning Rh-catalyzed olefin hydrogenation based on BINOL-derived monodentate phosphites have resulted in an efficient and economically attractive preparative method, very little is known concerning the source of the unexpectedly high levels of enantioselectivity (ee often 90-99%). The present mechanistic study, which includes the NMR characterization of the precatalysts, kinetic measurements with focus on nonlinear effects, and DFT calculations, constitutes a first step in understanding this hydrogenation system. The two most important features which have emerged from these efforts are the following: (1) two monodentate P-ligands are attached to rhodium, and (2) the lock-and-key mechanism holds, in which the thermodynamics of Rh/olefin complexation with formation of the major and minor diastereomeric intermediates dictates the stereochemical outcome. The major diastereomer leads to the favored enantiomeric product, which is opposite to the state of affairs in classical Rh-catalyzed olefin hydrogenation based on chiral chelating diphosphines (anti lock-and-key mechanism as proposed by Halpern).     

Tween-20: An Efficient Catalyst for One-Pot Synthesis of α-Aminophosphonates in Aqueous Media

Abstract

A green one-pot three-component synthesis has been developed for α-aminophosphonates by condensation of aldehydes, amines, and diethylphosphite by using nonionic surfactant Tween-20 as catalyst in aqueous media. The results showed that this synthetic route for α-aminophosphonates takes just 25–60 min for completion at 60 °C and affords 64%–91% yields depending on the nature of the amine substrates. The major advantages of this novel method are green reaction conditions with water as solvent, simple workup, less reaction times, and high to moderate yields.     

Pd／Sulfated Alumina： a Novel Catalyst for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO with Methane

Recently ,muchattentionhasbeendirectedtotheselectivecatalyticreduction (SCR)ofNOwithmethaneasreductant[1,2 ] .Pd basedcatalystshavebeenfoundtobeactiveforthereaction[3～ 6 ] .Howev er,theperformanceofthePd basedcatalystsforthisreactiondependsstronglyonthenatureofthesup ports[3,4 ] .Sofar ,onlyacidiczeolites[3,4 ] andacidiczirconia[4～ 6 ] havebeenshowntobetheeffectivesup portsforthePd basedcatalysts .Incontrast,Pd/γ Al2 O3,whichisoneofthemostwidelyusedthree waycatalystsatpresent[7] ,exhibi…     

Understanding the Activity of Co-N4−xCx in Atomic Metal Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Catalysis

Atomic metal catalysis (AMC) provides an effective way to enhance activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Cobalt anchored on nitrogen-doped carbon materials have been extensively reported. The carbon-hosted Co-N₄ structure was widely considered as the active site; however, it is very rare to investigate the activity of Co partially coordinated with N, for example, Co-N_4−xC_x. Herein, the activity of Co-N_4−xC_x with tunable coordination environment is investigated as the active sites for ORR catalysis. The defect (di-vacancies) on carbon is essential for the formation of Co-N_4−xC_x. N species play two important roles in promoting the intrinsic activity of atomic metal catalyst: N coordinated with Co to manipulate the reactivity by modification of electronic distribution and N helped to trap more Co to increase the number of active sites.     

Diammonium Hydrogen Phosphate as a Neutral and Efficient Catalyst for Synthesis of 1,8‐Dioxo‐octahydroxanthene Derivatives in Aqueous Media

A new and efficient method to synthesize a 3,3,6,6,9‐aryl‐1,8‐dioxo‐octahydroxanthene derivative using diammonium hydrogen phosphate as catalyst was performed in water at room temperature in a short periods.     

Why is metallic Pt the best catalyst for methoxy decomposition?

The decomposition of methoxy on Cu(111), Ag(111), Au(111), Ni(111), Pt(111), Pd(111), and Rh(111) has been studied in detail by the density functional theory calculations. The calculated activation barriers were successfully correlated with the coupling matrix element V 2 ad and the d-band center (ε d ) for the group IB metals and group VIII metals, respectively. By comparison of the activation energy barriers of the methoxy decomposition on different metals, it was found that Pt is the best catalyst for methoxy decomposition. The possible reason why the metallic Pt is the best catalyst has been analyzed from both the energetic data and the electronic structure information, that is, methoxy decomposition on Pt(111) has the largest exothermic behavior due to the closest p-band center of the CH 3 O among all metals after the adsorption.     

Oxygen Spillover in the Conversion of NO on a Pd-Co/γ-Al2O3 Catalyst

Oxygen spillover was detected in the decomposition of NO on a Pd-Co/-Al₂O₃ catalyst obtained by the thermolysis of [Co(NH₃)₅Cl][PdCl₄].     

Why is the linking C-C bond in tetrahedranyltetrahedrane so short?

[structure: see text]. The block-localized wave function (BLW) method has been employed to probe the origin of the very short linking C-C bond (1.436 A) in tetrahedranyltetrahedrane. Computations show that the vicinal hyperconjugative interactions between the two tetrahedranyl groups is stronger than the conjugation in butadiene, and if there were no hyperconjugation effect, the bond distance would be 1.491 A. Thus, both the hybridization mode and hyperconjugative interactions contribute to the shortening of the central C-C bond in tetrahedranyltetrahedrane.