Oxidative Degradation of Aqueous Cresols Induced by Gaseous Plasma with Contact Glow Discharge Electrolysis

The oxidative degradation of cresols smoothly proceeded toward inorganic end products when a gaseous plasma generated by means of dc glow discharge was sustained in contact with the surface of aqueous solution containing organic compounds. In order to get mechanistic insight, the monohydroxylation products from each isomeric cresol were closely examined as primary intermediates to reveal that the aromatic hydroxylation preferentially occurred at the position para to the hydroxyl group of each starting material. It was also established that the degradation of cresols strictly followed the first-order rate law. On the basis of the orientational analysis and the kinetical consideration including the effects of Fe ions added on the reaction rate, it was concluded that hydroxyl radical, which might result from the homolytic cleavage of water molecules by the action of plasma, was the most likely reagent responsible for the mineralization of cresols.     

The porosity, acidity, and reactivity of dealuminated zeolite ZSM-5 at the single particle level: the influence of the zeolite architecture

A combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM), high‐resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR‐SEM), focused‐ion‐beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB‐SEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM), and UV/Vis and synchrotron‐based IR microspectroscopy was used to investigate the dealumination processes of zeolite ZSM‐5 at the individual crystal level. It was shown that steaming has a significant impact on the porosity, acidity, and reactivity of the zeolite materials. The catalytic performance, tested by the styrene oligomerization and methanol‐to‐olefin reactions, led to the conclusion that mild steaming conditions resulted in greatly enhanced acidity and reactivity of dealuminated zeolite ZSM‐5. Interestingly, only residual surface mesoporosity was generated in the mildly steamed ZSM‐5 zeolite, leading to rapid crystal coloration and coking upon catalytic testing and indicating an enhanced deactivation of the zeolites. In contrast, harsh steaming conditions generated 5–50 nm mesopores, extensively improving the accessibility of the zeolites. However, severe dealumination decreased the strength of the Brønsted acid sites, causing a depletion of the overall acidity, which resulted in a major drop in catalytic activity.     

C-H functionalization polycondensation of chlorothiophenes in the presence of nickel catalyst with stoichiometric or catalytically generated magnesium amide

Polymerization of 2-chloro-3-substituted thiophenes proceeded with a stoichiometric amount of magnesium amide, TMPMgCl·LiCl, or a combination of a Grignard reagent and a catalytic amount of secondary amine in the presence of a nickel catalyst. Although the nickel-catalyzed polymerization with NiCl(2)dppe, which exhibited high catalytic activity in the reaction of bromothiophenes, was less effective, use of a nickel catalyst bearing N-heterocyclic carbene as a ligand was found to induce polymerization with controlled molecular weight and molecular weight distribution.     

Copper-catalyzed benzylic C-H oxygenation under an oxygen atmosphere via N-H imines as an intramolecular directing group

Copper-catalyzed benzylic C-H oxygenation under an oxygen atmosphere was developed starting from carbonitriles and Grignard reagents via N-H imine intermediates. The present process is characterized by the following two-step sequence in a one-pot manner: (1) addition of Grignard reagents to carbonitriles to form N-H imines and (2) benzylic C-H oxygenation (C═O bond formation) triggered by 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer with transient iminyl copper species.     

Investigation of thermal hazard during the hydrosilylation of 1,6-divinyl(perfluorohexane) with trichlorosilane

In this study, we examined the reaction hazard during the hydrosilylation reaction between trichlorosilane (TCS) and 1,6-divinyl(perfluorohexane) (FDV) in the presence of a butanol solution of chloroplatinic acid (Pt-Cat) as the catalyst. Assuming the three industrial risks of excessive addition of Pt-Cat, contamination by iron rust and mixing with cooling water, we observed the temperature and pressure change of TCS/FDV with an excessive amount of Pt-Cat, TCS/FDV/Pt-Cat with Fe₂O₃ and TCS/FDV/Pt-Cat with distilled water, using an accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC). The temperature and pressure greatly increased, especially in the sample with Fe₂O₃. For instance, in TCS/FDV/Pt-Cat with 1.5 wt.% Fe₂O₃, the heat release rate exceeded 624 K · min^?1 and the pressure rose above 25 MPa during the exothermic reaction.     

Addition of ArSSAr to carbon-carbon multiple bonds using electrochemistry

ArS(ArSSAr)⁺ (arylbis(arylthio)sulfonium ions), which were generated and accumulated by the electrochemical oxidation of diaryl disulfides (ArSSAr) in CH₂Cl₂ at −78 °C, reacted with alkenes to give the corresponding diarylthio-substituted compounds in a stereospecific manner in good yields, when the reaction was quenched with a soft nucleophile, such as allylsilanes, ketene silyl acetals, and triethylamine. A mechanism involving the initial formation of an episulfonium ion followed by ring-opening by the attack of ArSSAr has been suggested. The reactions of ArS(ArSSAr)⁺ with alkynes also took place to give 1,2-diorganothio-substitued alkenes stereoselectively under similar conditions.     

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed synthesis of isoquinolines from aryl ketone O-acyloxime derivatives and internal alkynes

A synthetic method of isoquinolines from aryl ketone O-acyloxime derivatives and internal alkynes has been developed using [Cp*RhCl(2)](2)-NaOAc as the potential catalyst system. The present transformation is carried out by a redox-neutral sequence of C-H vinylation via ortho-rhodation and C-N bond formation of the putative vinyl rhodium intermediate on the oxime nitrogen, where the N-O bond of oxime derivatives could work as an internal oxidant to maintain the catalytic cycle.