Rhodium(I) complexes with 1′-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocenecarboxylic acid as active and recyclable catalysts for 1-hexene hydroformylation

The rhodium complex trans-[Rh(CO)(Hdpf-κP)(dpf-κ²O,P)] (1), (Hdpf = 1′-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocenecarboxylic acid) was used as an efficient and recyclable catalyst for 1-hexene hydroformylation producing ca. 80% of aldehydes at 10 atm CO/H₂ and 80 °C. After the reaction, unchanged complex 1 was separated from the reaction mixture and used again three times with the same catalytic activity. The effect of modifying ligands, phosphines and phosphites, on the reactivity of 1 was investigated. The active catalytic systems containing 1 or trans-[Rh(CO)(L)(dpf-κ²O,P)] (2) were formed in situ from acetylacetonato rhodium(I) precursors [Rh(CO)₂(acac)] (3) or [RhL(CO)(acac)] (4) and Hdpf or Medpf (L = phosphine, Medpf = methyl ester of Hdpf).     

Surface patterns of block copolymers in thin layers after vapor treatment

A systematic study of formation of surface patterns in block copolymer thin layers after their exposure to solvent vapors was performed. The studied effect involves layers of thickness approximately equal to the ordering size of polymers - about 45 nm. Experiments were performed on three styrene - methacrylate derivative block copolymers, synthesized by living anionic polymerization: poly(4-octylstyrene)-block-poly(butyl methacrylate), poly(4-fluorostyrene)-block-poly(butyl methacrylate) and poly(p-octylstyrene)-block-poly(methyl methacrylate). The polymers were exposed to vapors of chloroform, 1,4-dioxane, hexane, acetone and tetrahydrofuran.     

Efficient synthesis of trisubstituted alkenes in an aqueous-organic system using a versatile and recyclable Rh/m-TPPTC catalyst

We have found that the use of [Rh(cod)OH]₂ associated with the water-soluble ligand m-TPPTC was highly efficient for the Rh-catalyzed arylation of alkynes. Aryl and alkyl alkynes were transformed to alkenes using 3 mol % rhodium catalyst and 2.5 equiv of boronic acid at 100 °C in a biphasic water/toluene system in 80-99% yield. The reaction was found to be totally regioselective for alkyl arylalkynes and alkyl silylated alkynes. The Rh/m-TPPTC system was for the first time recycled with no loss of the activity and with excellent purity of the desired alkene.     

Ruthenium(II) complexes with ferrocene-modified arene ligands: synthesis and electrochemistry

A series of arene-ruthenium complexes of the general formula [RuCl₂{η⁶-C₆H₅(CH₂)₂R}L] with R=OH, CH₂OH, OC(O)Fc, CH₂OC(O)Fc (Fc=ferrocenyl) and L=PPh₃, (diphenylphosphino)ferrocene, or bridging 1,1^′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene, have been synthesized. Two synthetic pathways have been used for these ferrocene-modified arene-ruthenium complexes: (a) esterification of ferrocene carboxylic acid with 2-(cyclohexa-1,4-dienyl)ethanol, followed by condensation with RuCl₃ · nH₂O to afford [RuCl₂{η⁶-C₆H₅(CH₂)₂OC(O)Fc}]₂, and (b) esterification between ferrocene carboxylic acid and [RuCl₂{η⁶-C₆H₅(CH₂)₃OH}L] to give [RuCl₂{η⁶-C₆H₅(CH₂)₃OC(O)Fc}L]. All new compounds have been characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy as well as by mass spectrometry. The single-crystal X-ray structure analysis of [RuCl₂{η⁶-C₆H₅(CH₂)₃OH}(PPh₃)] shows that the presence of a CH₂CH₂CH₂OH side-arm allows [RuCl₂{η⁶-C₆H₅(CH₂)₃OH}(PPh₃)] to form an intramolecular hydrogen bond with a chlorine atom. The electrochemical behavior of selected representative compounds has been studied. Complexes with ferrocenylated side arms display the expected cyclic voltammograms, two independent reversible one-electron waves of the Ru(II)/Ru(III) and Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox couples. Introduction of a ferrocenylphosphine onto the ruthenium is reflected by an additonal reversible, one-electron wave due to ferrocene/ferrocenium system which is, however, coupled with the Ru(II)/Ru(III) redox system.     

Particle size determination of platinum, palladium and rhodium

Simple and sufficiently accurate equations are suggested for calculating the particle size of most frequently used supported or unsupported platinum metal catalysts from the amount of chemisorbed gas.

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Retaining60Co2+ ions from residual water on zeolites

The ion exchange between⁶⁰Co²⁺ ions contained in residual radioactive water and zeolites of the NaA, NaX and CaA types was studied. The more advanced retaining of⁶⁰Co²⁺ ions occurs for the NaA zeolite with the higher exchange capacity, as compared to NaX. With the CaA zeolite, a very weak ion exchange with⁶⁰Co²⁺ ions was observed.     

Molecular dynamics study of hydration in ethanol-water mixtures using a polarizable force field

The abnormal physicochemical characteristics of ethanol solvation in water are commonly attributed to the phenomenon of hydrophobic hydration. To investigate the structural organization of hydrophobic hydration in water-ethanol mixtures, we use molecular dynamics simulations based on detailed atomic models. Induced polarization is incorporated into the potential function on the basis of the classical Drude oscillator model. Water-ethanol mixtures are simulated at 11 ethanol molar fractions, from 0.05 to 0.9. Although the water and ethanol models are parametrized separately to reproduce the vaporization enthalpy, static dielectric constant, and self-diffusion constant of neat liquids at ambient conditions, they also reproduce the energetic and dynamical properties of the mixtures accurately. Furthermore, the calculated dielectric constant for the various water-alcohol mixtures is in excellent agreement with experimental data. The simulations provide a detailed structural characterization of the mixtures. A depletion of water-water hydrogen bonding in the first hydration shell of ethanol is compensated by an enhancement in the second hydration shell. The structuring effect from the second solvation shell gives rise to a net positive hydrogen-bonding excess for ethanol molar fractions up to approximately 0.5. For larger molar fractions, the second hydration shell is not sufficiently populated to overcome the net H-bond depletion from the first shell.     

Determination of acid sites on carbon surface

Pyridine chemisorbed on acid sites of active carbon was displaced by n-butylamine and the displaced amount was measured spectrophotometrically. This amount, supposed to be proportional to the surface concentration of carboxy groups, depends on the chemical pretreatment of active carbon.

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Testing the photocatalytic activity of cyanogen-and thiocyanogen-based inorganic polymers

The photocatalytic properties of some cyanogen-and thiocyanogen-based inorganic polymers, such as paracyanogens containing different metals (Hg, Ag, Cu), polythiocyanogens of different iodine contents, polycyanogen and poly (cyanogenthiocyanate), have been tested in two systems. Cu-containing paracyanogen and the iodine-poor polythiocyanogens catalyze the photoreduction of methylviologen under visible light, furthermore the Cu-containing paracyanogen catalyzes the photoreduction of water to hydrogen under UV irradiation.

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Structural, Electronic, and Optical Properties of Noble Metal Clusters from First Principles

We examine low-energy isomeric forms, static polarizabilities, and optical absorption spectra of Ag _n , n = 2–8, and Au _n , n = 2–3, clusters using first principles computations within the static and time-dependent versions of the density functional theory. The noticeable decrease in the static polarizabilities of Ag₇ and Ag₈ compared to the values characteristic of Ag _n , n = 2–6, is correlated with the transition from two-dimensional to three-dimensional structures at n = 7. The optical spectra computed within the time-dependent local density approximation for the most stable structures are in good agreement with the available experimental data and the results of earlier theoretical studies. Optical spectra of higher-energy isomers typically present features that are not observed in the experimental spectra. The d electrons affect the spectra of noble metal clusters by quenching the oscillator strengths through screening of the s electrons and by getting directly involved in the excitations. Due to the larger s–d hybridization in Au compared to Ag, these effects are more pronounced in Au _n clusters.