Low temperature methanation of CO2 over an amorphous cobalt-based catalyst

CO₂ methanation is an important reaction in CO₂ valorization. Because of the high kinetic barriers, the reaction usually needs to proceed at higher temperature (>300 °C). High-efficiency CO₂ methanation at low temperature (<200 °C) is an interesting topic, and only several noble metal catalysts were reported to achieve this goal. Currently, design of cheap metal catalysts that can effectively accelerate this reaction at low temperature is still a challenge. In this work, we found that the amorphous Co–Zr_0.1–B–O catalyst could catalyze the reaction at above 140 °C. The activity of the catalyst at 180 °C reached 10.7 mmol_CO2 g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹, which is comparable to or even higher than that of some noble metal catalysts under similar conditions. The Zr promoter in this work had the highest promoting factor to date among the catalysts for CO₂ methanation. As far as we know, this is the first report of an amorphous transition metal catalyst that could effectively accelerate CO₂ methanation. The outstanding performance of the catalyst could be ascribed to two aspects. The amorphous nature of the catalyst offered abundant surface defects and intrinsic active sites. On the other hand, the Zr promoter could enlarge the surface area of the catalyst, enrich the Co atoms on the catalyst surface, and tune the valence state of the atoms at the catalyst surface. The reaction mechanism was proposed based on the control experiments.

It is discovered that an amorphous transition metal catalyst Co–Zr0.1–B–O could effectively accelerate CO2 methanation, at a rate that is comparable to or even higher than that of some noble metal catalysts under similar conditions.     

Towards efficient discovery of green synthetic pathways with Monte Carlo tree search and reinforcement learning

Computer aided synthesis planning of synthetic pathways with green process conditions has become of increasing importance in organic chemistry, but the large search space inherent in synthesis planning and the difficulty in predicting reaction conditions make it a significant challenge. We introduce a new Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) variant that promotes balance between exploration and exploitation across the synthesis space. Together with a value network trained from reinforcement learning and a solvent-prediction neural network, our algorithm is comparable to the best MCTS variant (PUCT, similar to Google''s Alpha Go) in finding valid synthesis pathways within a fixed searching time, and superior in identifying shorter routes with greener solvents under the same search conditions. In addition, with the same root compound visit count, our algorithm outperforms the PUCT MCTS by 16% in terms of determining successful routes. Overall the success rate is improved by 19.7% compared to the upper confidence bound applied to trees (UCT) MCTS method. Moreover, we improve 71.4% of the routes proposed by the PUCT MCTS variant in pathway length and choices of green solvents. The approach generally enables including Green Chemistry considerations in computer aided synthesis planning with potential applications in process development for fine chemicals or pharmaceuticals.

A new MCTS variant with a reinforcement learning value network and solvent prediction model proposes shorter synthesis routes with greener solvents.     

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Synthesis and Spectroscopic Characterization of Group 6 Pentacarbonyl(4-substituted pyridine)metal(0) Complexes

Carbonyl-metal (M:Cr, Mo, W) derivatives of 4-substituted pyridines [4-methylpyridine (4-mp), 4-tert-butylpyridine (4-tbp) and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (4-dmap)] where the metal center is bonded to the nitrogen atom of the substituted pyridine ring are described. The organometallic complexes, M(CO)₅L, were synthesized by either the direct reaction of the metal hexacarbonyls or by the thermal substitution of M(CO)₅(THF) with the pyridine ligands; 4-methylpyridine (1), 4-tert-butylpyridine (2), 4-dimethylaminopyridine (3). The reported complexes were purified by column chromatography and recrystallization. The complexes were all characterized in solution by elemental analysis, MS, ir , ¹H-nmr and ¹³C-nmr spectroscopies.     

Fabrication of self-supported patterns of aligned beta-FeOOH nanowires by a low-temperature solution reaction

Self-supported patterns of oriented alignment of beta-FeOOH nanowires are fabricated through a simple solution reaction from the complex [Fe(phen)(3)](2+) at 60 degrees C. The alignment of nanowires with a diameter of 40 nm and length of 6 mum is relatively uniform. HRTEM studies show that the growing direction of beta-FeOOH nanowires is perpendicular to the orientation plane of self-formed beta-FeOOH flake-like substrates. In the reaction and crystal growth process, the precursor [Fe(phen)(3)](2+) is undoubtedly vital to the formation of nanowire alignment. In detail, the formation of aligned nanowires is thought to be realized by controlling two competing reactions. Electrochemical and UV-visible measurements suggest that the product might have potential applications in lithium batteries and semiconductor electronics. This synthetic process is simple, mild, clean, reproducible, and free of any template; it provides a novel pathway for the low-temperature growth of nanowires and their simultaneous oriented alignment.     

Efficient divalent metal cation extractions with di-ionizable calix[4]arene-1,2-crown-4 compounds

Di-ionizable calix[4]arene-1,2-crown-4 ethers in the cone conformation were synthesized and their conformation and regioselectivity verified by NMR spectroscopy. These new ligands exhibited high Ba²⁺ selectivity in competitive solvent extraction of alkaline earth metal cations from aqueous solutions into chloroform. The selectivity order was Ba²⁺>>Sr²⁺>Ca²⁺>Mg²⁺ with Ba²⁺/Sr²⁺ selectivity exceeding 100. The ligands also exhibited high extraction ability for Pb²⁺ and for Hg²⁺ in single species extraction. With variation of proton-ionizable groups, which are oxyacetic acid moieties and N-(X)sulfonyl oxyacetamide units with X=methyl, phenyl, 4-nitrophenyl, and trifluoromethyl, ‘tunable’ ligand acidity was obtained.     

Highly selective oxidation of amines to imines by Mn2O3 catalyst under eco-friendly conditions

Mn₂O₃ calcined at 450 ℃ by a simple template-free oxalate route gave 96.2% selectivity of imine at 100% conversion of benzylamine. The high selectivity of the imines clearly depended on the Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺ ratio. The probable reaction pathway for amines oxidation catalyzed by manganese oxides was proposed for the first time. This catalytic process was carried out under milder conditions, no base additives, and air as the only oxidant.     

Preparative isolation and purification of trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene-4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and (+)catechin from Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf. using high-speed counter-current chromatography by stepwise elution and stepwise increasing the flow-rate of the mobile phase

Preparative high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was successfully used for isolation and purification of trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene-4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (compound 1) and (+)catechin (compound 2) from Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf. by stepwise elution with a pair of two-phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate-ethanol-water (25:1:25, v/v) and (5:1:5, v/v), and stepwise increasing the flow-rate of the mobile phase from 0.8 to 2.0 mlmin(-1) after 5 h. The preparative HSCCC separation was performed on 250 mg of crude extract yielding pure compound 1 (10.2 mg) and compound 2 (26.7 mg) all at purities of over 96% in a single run. The structures of the two compounds have been elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods including MS and 1H, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.     

Two new icetexane diterpenoids from Salvia przewalskii

Two new icetexane diterpenoids, przewalskin C, D (1, 2), together with sixteen known diterpenoids, were isolated from Salvia przewalskii. Eight of known ones (compounds 3, 12-18) were reported firstly from this plant. To the best of our knowledge, it's the first report of icetexane diterpenoids from this plant. The identification and structural elucidation of these compounds were based on 1D- and 2D-NMR spectral data analysis.     

One‐pot synthesis of novel N‐cyclopropyldecahydroacridine‐1,8‐dione derivatives under microwave irradiation

A series of new N‐cyclopropyldecahydroacridine‐1,8‐dione derivatives were synthesized by one‐pot reaction of aromatic aldehyde, dimedone (or 1,3‐cyclohexanedione) and cyclopropanamine in solution of glycol and water under microwave irradiation with excellent yields (78‐94%) and short reaction time (5‐10 min).