Syngas production from methane over CeO2-Fe2O3 mixed oxides using a chemical-looping method

A series of mixed oxides Ce_{1 ? x} Fe _x O₂ was prepared by a hydrothermal method. XRD and Raman spectra were measured to study the structure of the prepared materials. The temperature-programmed reduction was undertaken to estimate reducibility of the oxides. Syngas generation from methane using these materials as oxygen carriers/catalysts via a chemical-looping procedure was investigated in detail. This procedure includes catalytic oxidation and decomposition of methane to produce H₂-rich gas at the first step followed by the production of the CO-rich gas by oxidizing the carbon deposited on deactivated catalysts. The results showed that all iron ions were incorporated into the ceria lattice with the formation of oxygen vacancies in the Ce_0.9Fe_0.1O₂ sample, while isolated Fe₂O₃ particles were distributed on the surface of the Ce_0.8Fe_0.2O₂ sample. TPR measurements and the analysis of the two-step chemical-looping reactions indicated a strong interaction between the Ce and Fe species which accounts for an increased activity of the mixed oxides in the syngas generation compared to that of individual oxides. Among the several samples, the Ce_0.8Fe_0.2O₂ catalyst showed the highest activity for methane partial oxidation due to the synergetic effects caused by the interaction of surface iron entities and Ce-Fe solid solution. In addition, selective oxidation of carbon by oxygen to CO can also be found over this material since gaseous products are formed at the carbon oxidation step with the selectivity to CO reaching 91.2%. Evidence is presented that syngas can be feasibly produced from methane with high selectivity via the chemical-looping procedure over the CeO₂-Fe₂O₃ mixed oxides.     

Ferric(III) Nitrate Supported on Kieselguhr: A New Reagent for Selective Oxidation of Alcohols

A selective and effective oxidation of alcohols into the corresponding aldehydes and ketones, respectively, with a new reagent, ferric(III) nitrate supported on kieselguhr, under heterogeneous conditions is reported.     

Prins Cyclization of Styrenes or Acetophenone Catalyzed by DBSA in Water

Dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) was proved to be an efficient catalyst for Prins cyclization of styrenes and formaldehyde or acetaldehyde in water. A tandem dehydration/Prins cyclization reaction using a tertiary alcohol and formaldehyde as substrates proceeded very well by using DBSA as catalyst. Acetophenone, which is less reactive compared with styrene, can also react with formaldehyde when catalyzed by DBSA in water to afford 1,3-dioxan-5-ylphenylmethanone in good yield.     

Synthesis of gemini surfactants with twelve symmetric fluorine atoms and one singlet F MR signal as novel F MRI agents

A family of fluorinated gemini surfactants derived from perfluoropinacol has been synthesized as novel ¹⁹F magnetic resonance imaging (¹⁹F MRI) agents. These fluorinated surfactants with 12 symmetric fluorine atoms and one singlet ¹⁹F MR peak can be conveniently prepared from perfluoropinacol and oligo(ethylene glycols) on multi-gram scales. Solubility, hydrophilicity (log P), and critical micelle concentration (CMC) measurements of these fluorinated surfactants indicated that high aqueous solubility can be achieved by introducing oligo(ethylene glycols) with appropriate length into perfluoropinacol, i.e., manipulating the fluorine content (F%). One of these fluorinated surfactants with high aqueous solubility and excellent ¹⁹F MR properties has been identified by ¹⁹F MRI phantom experiments as a promising ¹⁹F MRI agent.     

Synthesis of 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones via palladium-catalyzed C–Cl bond cleavage and cyclocarbonylation of ortho-chloro ketimines

PdCl₂(PCy₃)₂-catalyzed cyclocarbonylative coupling of ortho-chloro arylketimines with CO has been investigated to develop an efficient method for the synthesis of isoindolin-1-ones. The developed synthetic method has the advantages of having easily available starting materials, high atom-economy, and high selectivity.     

From Zero‐dimensional to One‐dimensional: Use of Metal‐­Ligand Affinity in Supramolecular Assembly

The self‐assembly of 4 ‐ MTPP [ 4 ‐ MTPP = 2‐(methylthio)‐4‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)pyrimidine] with Cu(NO₃)₂ and AgNO₃ was structurally investigated. For Cu(NO₃)₂, a discrete mononuclear Cu^II coordination compound, [Cu( 4 ‐ MTPP )₂(NO₃)₂] ( 1 ), resulted that is exclusively based on Cu–N coordination. For AgNO₃, a unique one‐dimensional double‐chain structure ( 2 ) was obtained with the Ag–N distances varying from 2.181(9) to 2.223(9) Å, and the average Ag–S distance being 2.98 Å. Compared to zero‐dimensional 1 , the extension to one‐dimensional 2 is considered to result from the specific affinity between Ag⁺ and the ligand 4 ‐ MTPP that is attributed to the strong coordinating tendency of silver for aromatic nitrogen and thioether sulfur atoms.     

Regular arrays of triangular‐microstructure formed on silicon (111) surface via ultrafast laser irradiation in KOH solution

The regular micrometer‐scale triangular arrays were formed using ultrafast femtosecond laser irradiation on (111) surface of silicon wafer immersed in KOH solution (0.1 g/ml). At low laser fluence, the resulting surface is covered by triangular pits microstructures, whereas at high laser fluence, the structures are transformed to multilayer‐triangular stacks‐microstructures. The number of triangular stacks layer increased as the laser fluence increased. The formation of triangle microstructure arrays depends on both silicon surface crystallographic orientation and the concentration of KOH solution. Either for lower KOH solution concentration (0.02 g/ml) or other silicon crystallographic orientation, triangle arrays cannot be obtained. We attribute the formation of triangular microstructure arrays to the laser‐assisted chemical etching process. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidonium methyl sulfonate acidic ionic liquid as a new dynamic coating for separation of basic proteins by capillary electrophoresis

A simple and economical CE method has been developed for the analysis of four model basic proteins by employing N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidonium methyl sulfonate ionic liquid (IL) as the dynamic coating material based on the interaction of both between electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bond, and between the organic cations of IL and the inner surface of bare fused‐silica capillary. The N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidonium‐based IL modified capillary not only generated a stable suppressed electroosmotic flow, but also effectively eliminated the wall adsorption of proteins. Several important parameters such as the IL concentration, pH values, and concentrations of the background electrolyte were optimized to improve the separation of basic proteins. Consequently, under the optimum separation conditions, a satisfied separation of basic proteins including lysozyme, cytochrome c, ribonuclease A, and α‐chymotrypsinogen A with theoretical plates ranging from 2.09 × 10⁵ to 4.48 × 10⁵ plates/m had been accomplished within 15 min. The proposed method first illustrated the effect of hydrogen bond between coating material and inner capillary surface on the coating, which should be a new strategy to design and select more effective coating materials to form more stable coatings in CE.     

A Facile Preparation of the Co3O4 Villiform Nanostructure

A Co₃O₄ villiform nanostructure was prepared by the aid of the cobalt oxalate precursor and characterized with x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-vis spectrum. It is found that the villiform structure obtained consists of Co₃O₄ nanorods with diameters of 50–80 nm. Moreover, the UV-vis absorptions of the villiform Co₃O₄ show the apparent blue shifts by comparison with the bulk Co₃O₄, indicating a quantum size effect similar to the free Co₃O₄ nanoparticles.