Metal Nanoparticles on Stainless Steel Surfaces as Novel Heterogeneous Catalysts

The goal of this work was the development of a novel type of heterogeneous catalyst, consisting of bare metal nanoparticles on stainless steel foils, which can be shaped to any kind of architecture and, if necessary, heated electrically. Solutions of pre-prepared, ligand protected and monodispersed gold, palladium, platinum and rhodium nanoparticles were sprayed onto stainless steel foils, followed by the careful removal of the ligand molecules by an oxygen plasma treatment. Due to this, bare particles become irreversibly fixed on the steel support. It could be shown that the original particle sizes do not change during the plasma treatment. Foils, densely coated with the nanoparticles, were used for gas phase catalyses in a self-made reactor at room temperature or at 60 °C. Hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene at 15 nm Pd and 2 nm Pt, CO oxidation at 16 nm, 8 nm and 1.4 nm gold and NO reduction with NH₃ at 2 nm Rh particles were performed, indicating that the novel catalysts might in principle be applicable in technical processes if the experimental conditions like form and temperature would be optimized. Dedicated to Professor Dieter Fenske on the occassion of his 65th birthday.     

Pd-H from Pd/C and triethylamine: Implications in palladium catalysed reactions involving amines

The palladium hydride-iminium complex generated from Pd/C and triethylamine catalyses the isomerisation of allylic alcohols into carbonyl compounds, and Pd/C catalyses the conjugate reduction of activated double bonds using triethylamine as the source of the two newly incorporated hydrogen atoms via the same complex.     

Ionization of aqueous toluic acids: Conductance and thermodynamics

Conductivities of aqueous solutions ofortho-, meta-, andpara-toluic acids have been measured for the concentration range 0.1–2 millimolar and at 5° intervals from 5 to 100°C. At each temperature pK _a(m) andA ₀ have been calculated using the paired ion model recently described by Fuoss. Thermodynamic parameters have been calculated for the ionization of each acid, and Walden products for the anions. Results are discussed in terms of contributions to acidity by enthalpy and entropy changes as well as by hydration of the various solute species.     

Synthetic studies on neomarinone: practical and efficient stereoselective synthesis of the side chain

A practical and efficient stereoselective synthesis of the side chain of neomarinone is reported. The synthesis was achieved in six steps (41% overall yield) from 2-methyl-2-cyclohexenone. The key step is a novel stereoselective 1,4-conjugate addition/enolate alkylation by an epoxide-opening reaction.     

Electrocatalytic Proton Reduction by a Cobalt Complex Containing a Proton-Responsive Bis(alkylimdazole)methane Ligand: Involvement of a C−H Bond in H2 Formation

Homogeneous electrocatalytic proton reduction is reported using cobalt complex [ 1 ](BF₄)₂. This complex comprises two bis(1-methyl-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)methane (HBMIM ) ligands that contain an acidic methylene moiety in their backbone. Upon reduction of [ 1 ](BF₄)₂ by either electrochemical or chemical means, one of its HBMIM ligands undergoes deprotonation under the formation of dihydrogen. Addition of a mild proton source (acetic acid) to deprotonated complex [ 2 ](BF₄) regenerates protonated complex [ 1 ](BF₄)₂. In presence of acetic acid in acetonitrile solvent [ 1 ](BF₄)₂ shows electrocatalytic proton reduction with a k_obs of ≈200 s⁻¹ at an overpotential of 590 mV. Mechanistic investigations supported by DFT (BP86) suggest that dihydrogen formation takes place in an intramolecular fashion through the participation of a methylene C−H bond of the HBMIM ligand and a Co^II−H bond through formal heterolytic splitting of the latter. These findings are of interest to the development of responsive ligands for molecular (base)metal (electro)catalysis.     

On the Permanental Polynomials of Some Graphs

Let G be a simple graph with adjacency matrix A(G) and (G,x) the permanental polynomial of G. Let G × H denotes the Cartesian product of graphs G and H. Inspired by Kleins idea to compute the permanent of some matrices (Mol. Phy. 31 (3) (1976) 811–823), in this paper in terms of some orientation of graphs we study the permanental polynomial of a type of graphs. Here are some of our main results.1.If G is a bipartite graph containing no subgraph which is an even subdivision of K _2,3, then G has an orientation G ^e such that (G,x) = det (xI-A(G ^e )), where A(G ^e ) denotes the skew adjacency matrix of G ^e.2.Let G be a 2-connected outerplanar bipartite graph with n vertices. Then there exists a 2-connected outerplanar bipartite graph with 2n+2 vertices such that (G,x) is a factor of .3.Let T be an arbitrary tree with n vertices. Then , where ₁ , ₂ , ..., _n are the eigenvalues of T.     

直接甲醇燃料电池阴极电催化剂的研究进展

直接甲醇燃料电池(DMFC)功率密度高，燃料甲醇价格低廉、储存和携带方便，特别适合作为电动车和小型电子设备的电源，是目前燃料电池研究领域的一个热点。本文介绍了40年来DMFC阴极电催化剂的发展历史及现状，并针对目前严重影响DMFC性能的“甲醇透过”问题，阐述了研制耐甲醇阴极电催化剂的重要性，讨论了今后DMFC阴极电催化剂的发展趋势。     

Active nickel-based reduction of organic compounds

The reducing system NiCl₂·2H₂O—Li—arene_cat (cat is catalyst) was proposed for use to reduce a wide range of organic compounds, including alkenes, alkynes, carbonyl compounds, imines, halogenated derivatives, sulfonates, aromatic compounds, hydrazines, azo and azoxy compounds, N-oxides, and nitrones. The degree of reduction can be controlled for some substrates. Deuterium can be incorporated in the reaction products using nickel chloride deuteriohydrate. Nitrones, N-alkoxyamides, and acyl azides are also reduced with the Li—arene_cat system containing no nickel salt.     

Synthesis of nitro and amino derivatives of benzothiacrown ethers

The condensation reaction of 1,2-bis(2-haloethoxy)-4-nitrobenzenes with acyclic α,ω-(oxa)alkanedithiols in the presence of alkali metal carbonates produced a series of nitrobenzodithiacrown ethers with macrocycles of different size. The structures of three ethers were established by X-ray diffraction. A new method was developed for the synthesis of nitrobenzomonothia-15-crown-5 ether. Nitro derivatives of benzodithiacrown ethers were tested as reagents for extraction of palladium(II), platinum(IV), and rhodium(III) from hydrochloric acid solutions. Extraction of Pd^II salts was found to be highly selective compared to that of Pt^IV and Rh^III salts. Benzodithia-15-crown-5 ether is the most efficient extractant for palladium(II). Reduction of nitrobenzothiacrown ethers with hydrazine hydrate in the presence of a platinum catalyst afforded their amino derivatives. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 958–966, May, 2007.