Hydrogen production via autothermal reforming of ethanol over noble metal catalysts supported on oxides

Hydrogen was produced over noble metal (Ir, Ru, Rh, Pd) catalysts supported on various oxides, including γ-Al2O3, CeO2, ZrO2 and La2O3, via the autothermai reforming reaction of ethanol (ATRE) and oxidative reforming reaction of ethanol (OSRE). The conversion of ethanol and selectivites for hydrogen and byproducts such as methane, ethylene and acetaldehyde were studied. It was found that lanthana alone possessed considerable activity for the ATRE reaction, which could be used as a functional support for ATRE catalysts. It was demonstrated that Ir/La2O3 prevented the formation of methane, and Rh/La2O3 encumbered the production of ethylene and acetaldehyde. ATRE reaction was carried out over La2O3-supported catalysts (Ir/La2O3) with good stability on stream, high conversion, and excellent hydrogen selectivity approaching thermodynamic limit under autothermal condition. Typically, 3.4 H2 molecules can be extracted from a pair of ethanol and water molecules over Ir(5wt%)/La2O3. The results presented in this paper indicate that Ir/La2O3 can be used as a promising catalyst for hydrogen production via ATRE reaction from renewable ethanol.     

The effect of cation size (H+, Li+, Na+, and K+) on McLafferty-type rearrangement of even-electron ions in mass spectrometry

Protonation and alkali-metal cation adduction are the most important ionization processes in soft-ionization mass spectrometry.Studies on the fragmentation mechanism of protonated and alkali-metal-cationized compounds in tandem mass spectrometry are essential and helpful for structural analysis.In some cases,it was often observed that a compound attached by different alkali-metal cations(or proton)exhibits similar fragmentation patterns but the relative abundances of product ions are different.This difference was considered to derive from the different electrostatic interactions of alkali-metal cations(or the bonded effect of proton)with the analyte.The alkali-metal cation with a smaller ionic radius shows stronger electrostatic interaction with the molecule because of its higher charge density.In addition,the bonded effect of the proton is stronger than the electrostatic interaction of the alkali-metal cation.In the present study,which used McLafferty-type rearrangements of even-electron ions([M+Cat]+,Cat=H,Li,Na,K)as model reactions,the effect of cation size in mass spectrometric fragmentation reactions is highlighted.These considerations were also successfully applied to interpret the similar but distinct fragmentation behavior of proton and alkali-metal cation adducts of a synthetic compound(2-(acetamido(phenyl)methyl)-3-oxobutanoate)and a drug(entecavir).     

Effects of substrate and transfer on CVD-grown graphene over sapphire-induced Cu films

We differentiated the effects of Cu films deposited on single crystalline a-,r-,and c-plane sapphire substrates upon graphene films synthesized with atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition(CVD).The data illustrate that the realization of high-crystalline Cu film is dependent not only on the crystallinity of underlying substrate,but also on the symmetric match of crystallographic geometry between metal film and substrate.We also systematically investigated the effects of PMMA removal on the Raman ID/IG and IG/I2D values of transferred graphene.The results reveal that different PMMA removal methods do not alter the ID/IG values;instead,the residue of PMMA increases the IG/I2D values and the thermal decomposition of PMMA leads to higher IG/I2D values than the removal of PMMA with acetone.The effects of PMMA removal on variations of the Raman spectra are also discussed.     

High diastereoselective synthesis of spiro-isoxazolonechromans via domino oxa-Michael/1,6-addition reactions of ortho-hydroxyphenylsubstituted para-quinone methides with unsaturated isoxazolones

A mild Et₃N-catalyzed novel domino oxa-Michael/1,6-addition reaction of ortho-hydroxyphenylsubstituted p-QMs and unsaturated isoxazolones is described. Various new spiro-isoxazolonechromans were obtained in good yields (up to 89%) with excellent diastereoselectivities (>99:1 dr). The structure of the new compound 3a was determined by single crystal X-ray analysis.     

Synthesis, crystal structures and DNA-binding properties of dinuclear complexes with macrocyclic ligands

Two symmetrical macrocyclic dinuclear complexes, [Cu₂L¹(ClO₄)₂(H₂O)₂][Cu₂L¹(H₂O)₂] (ClO₄)₂ (1) and [Cu₂L²(ClO₄)₂] (2), (where H₂L¹ and H₂L² are the [2?+?2] condensation products of 1,3-diaminopropane with 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol and 2,6-diformyl-4-flurophenol, respectively), have been synthesized and characterized. The electronic and magnetic properties of the complexes were studied by cyclic voltammetry and magnetic susceptibility. There are strong antiferromagnetic couplings between the two copper(II) centers in both complexes. The strongly electron-withdrawing fluorine groups in H₂L² weaken the antiferromagnetic exchange, but make the metal centers more easily reduced than its analog H₂L¹. The interactions of the complexes with calf thymus DNA were studied by UV?CVis and CD spectroscopic techniques.