Towards the design of novel boron‐ and nitrogen‐substituted ammonia‐borane and bifunctional arene ruthenium catalysts for hydrogen storage

Electronic‐structure density functional theory calculations have been performed to construct the potential energy surface for H₂ release from ammonia‐borane, with a novel bifunctional cationic ruthenium catalyst based on the sterically bulky β‐diketiminato ligand (Schreiber et al., ACS Catal. 2012, 2, 2505). The focus is on identifying both a suitable substitution pattern for ammonia‐borane optimized for chemical hydrogen storage and allowing for low‐energy dehydrogenation. The interaction of ammonia‐borane, and related substituted ammonia‐boranes, with a bifunctional η⁶‐arene ruthenium catalyst and associated variants is investigated for dehydrogenation. Interestingly, in a number of cases, hydride‐proton transfer from the substituted ammonia‐borane to the catalyst undergoes a barrier‐less process in the gas phase, with rapid formation of hydrogenated catalyst in the gas phase. Amongst the catalysts considered, N,N‐difluoro ammonia‐borane and N‐phenyl ammonia‐borane systems resulted in negative activation energy barriers. However, these types of ammonia‐boranes are inherently thermodynamically unstable and undergo barrierless decay in the gas phase. Apart from N,N‐difluoro ammonia‐borane, the interaction between different types of catalyst and ammonia borane was modeled in the solvent phase, revealing free‐energy barriers slightly higher than those in the gas phase. Amongst the various potential candidate Ru‐complexes screened, few are found to differ in terms of efficiency for the dehydrogenation (rate‐limiting) step. To model dehydrogenation more accurately, a selection of explicit protic solvent molecules was considered, with the goal of lowering energy barriers for H‐H recombination. It was found that primary (1°), 2°, and 3° alcohols are the most suitable to enhance reaction rate. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Role of Re Species and Acid Cocatalyst on Ir‐ReOx/SiO2 in the C–O Hydrogenolysis of Biomass‐Derived Substrates

The catalytic performance of ReO_x‐modified Ir metal catalyst in the hydrogenolysis of C–O bonds is strongly dependent on the choice of solvent. The acidic property of the Re species becomes obvious in the alkane solvent, and the hydrogenolysis reaction proceeds mainly by acid‐catalyzed dehydration and the subsequent metal‐catalyzed hydrogenation. The acidic property of the Re species is weakened in water; however, the hydrogenolysis reaction proceeds in water via a direct mechanism involving S_N2‐like attack of a hydride species at the interface between Ir and ReO_x on the adsorbed Re alkoxide species. This mechanism enabled the selective dissociation of the C–O bond neighboring the CH₂OH group.     

CO oxidation catalyzed by Ag/SBA-15 catalysts: Influence of the hydrothermal treatment

Four types of SBA-15 were prepared with different times and temperatures of treatment in order to obtain a range of micropore sizes. CO oxidation was used as a probe reaction in order to evaluate the nature of the active species when SBA-15s were doped with ca 10% Ag deposited from an AgNO₃ solution and calcined or reduced at 350 °C. The texture (TEM, nitrogen physisorption), structure (XRD) and reducibility (TPR) of the various catalysts (Ag/SBA-15) were studied and compared to those of a catalyst prepared by deposition of silver on fumed silica as a reference. These catalysts differ initially by the nature of silica and by pore sizes. In CO oxidation, pre-reduced catalysts are more active than pre-oxidised ones. This has to do with two phenomena, i.e. sintering, which produces large inactive silver particles, and formation of active silver species in the form of small Ag₂O particles.     

基于离子液体的绿色催化过程

离子液体为构建绿色催化反应过程提供了新途径.本文简要评述了离子液体在几个代表性催化反应中的研究进展,如CO2羰基化、烷基化、酯交换、氧化、CO2加氢、共聚以及PET降解等;分析讨论了离子液体的特点和优势,如提高反应活性、降低废物排放以及简化分离等,并对离子液体催化反应的未来发展方向进行了展望.     

Highly Selective Dimerization and Trimerization of Isobutene to Linearly Linked Products by Using Nickel Catalysts

The unique linear linkage of isobutene to generate highly valuable C₈ precursors for plasticizers is feasible by using special nickel catalysts. (4‐Cyclooctene‐1‐yl)(1,1,1,5,5,5‐hexafluoro‐2,4‐acetylacetonato)nickel and aluminum‐alkyl‐activated nickel acetylacetonates produce isobutene dimers with high selectivities of up to 95 %. Moreover, selectivity for the head‐to‐head products (2,5‐dimethylhexenes) is remarkably high at up to 99 %. Additionally, novel C₁₂ isobutene trimers are also formed with a very high selectivity of up to 99 % for the linear linkage. The trimer structure (2,5,8‐trimethylnonenes) reflects the stepwise characteristic of the reaction mechanism. Pathways of insertion and activation and the deactivation processes of the catalyst are discussed in detail.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Cross‐Dehydrogenative Functionalization of C(sp2)H Bonds

The catalytic cross‐dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reaction has received intense attention in recent years. The attractive feature of this coupling process is the formation of a C? C bond from two C? H moieties under oxidative conditions. In this Focus Review, recent advances in the palladium‐catalyzed CDC reactions of C(sp²)? H bond are summarized, with a focus on the period from 2011 to early 2013.     

Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed CS Bond Coupling Reaction

Sulfur‐containing molecules such as thioethers are commonly found in chemical biology, organic synthesis, and materials chemistry. While many reliable methods have been developed for preparing these compounds, harsh reaction conditions are usually required in the traditional methods. The transition metals have been applied in this field, and the palladium‐catalyzed coupling of thiols with aryl halides and pseudo halides is one of the most important methods in the synthesis of thioethers. Other metals have also been used for the same purpose. Here, we summarize recent efforts in metal‐catalyzed C? S bond cross‐coupling reactions, focusing especially on the coupling of thiols with aryl‐ and vinyl halides based on different metals.     

Copper‐Catalyzed NH Insertion and Oxidative Aromatization Cascade: Facile Synthesis of 2‐Arylaminophenols

A copper‐catalyzed cascade reaction of N‐H insertion and oxidative aromatization has been developed. 2‐Arylaminophenols have been prepared in moderate to high yields from the diazo substrates. Moreover, this newly established methodology allows efficient access to natural 1‐oxygenated carbazole alkaloids, such as glycozolicine and murrayafoline A.     

Site‐Selective CH Borylation of Quinolines at the C8 Position Catalyzed by a Silica‐Supported Phosphane–Iridium System

Site‐selective C? H borylation of quinoline derivatives at the C8 position has been achieved by using a heterogeneous Ir catalyst system based on a silica‐supported cage‐type monophosphane ligand SMAP. The efficient synthesis of a corticotropin‐releasing factor₁ (CRF₁) receptor antagonist based on a late‐stage C? H borylation strategy demonstrates the utility of the C8 borylation reaction.