Hydrogenolysis of hexane on supported rhodium catalysts

Hexane was reacted in mixtures with excess hydrogen on 5% Rh on different supports: Al₂O₃ and SiO₂, the latter catalyst in two states: after reduction at 603 K (LT) and after a prereduction at 1253 K (HT). The main reaction was hydrogenolysis. The catalysts were characterized with the fragment composition at different temperatures and hydrogen pressures. Two surface states could be distinguished: one with more hydrogen favored single rupture, the other with less hydrogen preferred multiple fragmentation. The transition between these states could be rather abrupt, as the surface hydrogen availability changed. The tendency to produce multiple fragments increased in the order Rh/Al₂O₃< Rh/SiO₂-LT < Rh/SiO₂-HT.     

A Tris(triazolate) Ligand for a Highly Active and Magnetically Recoverable Palladium Catalyst of Selective Alcohol Oxidation Using Air at Atmospheric Pressure

High efficiency and selectivity, easy magnetic recovery and recycling, and use of air as the oxidant at atmospheric pressure are major objectives for oxidation catalysis in terms of sustainable and green processes. A tris(triazolyl) ligand, so far only used in copper‐catalyzed alkyne azide cycloadditions, was found to be extremely efficient in SiO₂/γ‐Fe₂O₃‐immobilized palladium complexes. It was characterized by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X‐ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and found to fulfill the combined conditions for the selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones.     

Near-Surface Structure of Plasma Polymer Films Affects Surface Behavior in Water and its Interaction with Proteins

Using low pressure plasma polymerization, nano-scaled oxygen-rich plasma polymer films (CO) were deposited onto pristine silicon wafers as well as on nitrogen-containing plasma polymer (CN) model surfaces. We investigate the influence of the nature of the substrate as well as a potential sub-surface effect emerging from the buried CO/CN interface, just nanometers below the surface. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry revealed two important phenomena that occurred during the deposition of the terminal CO layer: (1) a strong degree of oxidation, already for 1 nm nominal thickness, and (2) a gradual transition in chemical composition between the two layers, clearly indicating that effectively a vertical chemical gradient results, even when a two-step coating process was applied. Such terminal gradient film structures were used to study film stability in aqueous environments. Molecular rearrangements were scrutinized in the top-surface in contact with water and we found that the top-surface chemistry and wetting properties of the oxygen-rich termination layer matched those of thick CO reference coatings. Nevertheless, the adsorption of green fluorescent protein (GFP) was observed to be sensitive to the CO terminal layer thickness. Namely, an enhanced protein adsorption was observed for 1–2 nm thick CO layers on CN, whereas a significantly reduced protein adsorption was seen on ≥?3 nm thick CO terminal layers. We conclude that both, surface and sub-surface conditions significantly affect protein adsorption as opposed to the traditional consideration of surface properties alone.     

Rational design of lanthanide binding peptides

Lanthanide-binding peptides are very attractive for the design of bioprobes. Indeed, they combine the amazing properties of lanthanide ions, such as their time-resolved luminescence (Eu, Tb) or electronic relaxation (Gd) to the characteristics of the peptide scaffold, such as large solubility in water and ability to recognize biological substrates. Peptides derived from natural amino acids are reviewed in a first section. Some of their lanthanide complexes have already demonstrated their efficiency in determining protein structures and functions. Then, we will show how insertion of chelating unnatural amino acids modulates peptide-lanthanide complexes properties, such as luminescence and stability.     

On the Influence of Oxygen on the Degradation of Fe‐N‐C Catalysts

Fe‐N‐C catalysts containing atomic FeN_x sites are promising candidates as precious‐metal‐free catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The durability of Fe‐N‐C catalysts in fuel cells has been extensively studied using accelerated stress tests (AST). Herein we reveal stronger degradation of the Fe‐N‐C structure and four‐times higher ORR activity loss when performing load cycling AST in O₂‐ vs. Ar‐saturated pH 1 electrolyte. Raman spectroscopy results show carbon corrosion after AST in O₂, even when cycling at low potentials, while no corrosion occurred after any load cycling AST in Ar. The load‐cycling AST in O₂ leads to loss of a significant fraction of FeN_x sites, as shown by energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy analyses, and to the formation of Fe oxides. The results support that the unexpected carbon corrosion occurring at such low potential in the presence of O₂ is due to reactive oxygen species produced between H₂O₂ and Fe sites via Fenton reactions.     

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers: Compromise between Flexibility and Rigidity for Improving Capture of Template Analogues

New synthetic strategies for molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were developed to mimic the flexibility and mobility exhibited by receptor/enzyme binding pockets. The MIPs were prepared by bulk polymerization with quercetin as template molecule, acrylamide as functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross‐linker, and THF as porogen. The innovative grafting of specific oligoethylene glycol units onto the imprinted cavities allowed MIPs to be obtained that exhibit extended selectivity towards template analogues. This synthetic strategy gives promising perspectives for the design of molecular recognition of molecules based on a congruent pharmacophore, which should be of interest for drug development.     

Detection of oligonucleotide gas-phase conformers: H/D exchange and ion mobility as complementary techniques

Gas-phase hydrogen/deuterium exchange of small oligonucleotides (dTG, dC(6) and C(6)) with CD(3)OD was performed in the second hexapole of a Fourier transform ion-cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer. Ion activation experiments were conducted by accelerating the ions at the entrance of the H/D exchange cell under conditions promoting exclusively collisional isomerization. These experiments allowed us to assess the presence of several conformers, and to probe the height of the isomerization barrier separating these conformers. Ion mobility experiments were also performed. Their results were consistent with the H/D exchange data. A model accounting for the competing isomerization and H/D exchange reactions is proposed. Comparing the ion acceleration experiments for H/D exchange and for ion mobility reveals that the most compact conformer displays the fastest H/D exchange. This observation shows that H/D exchange and ion mobility provide us with complementary information because hydrogen accessibility and macromolecule compactness are not univocally associated.