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Three ionic liquids (ILs) (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide, [EMIM]Br; 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, [EMIM]Cl; and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, [EMIM][Ac]) were used for the separation of the ethyl acetate + methanol azeotropic mixture. The vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) data of ethyl acetate + methanol azeotropic mixtures containing ILs were measured at 101.3 kPa. The three ILs show significant salting-out effects on ethyl acetate. The azeotropic point of the ethyl acetate + methanol azeotropic system is eliminated when the mole content of IL reaches a special value. The separation abilities of the three ILs follow the order [EMIM][Ac] > [EMIM]Cl > [EMIM]Br. The experimental data are correlated well by the nonrandom two-liquid model.

Pd catalysts, which are often prepared by reducing Pd salts with NaBH4, have been intensely studied in HCOOH dehydrogenation (FAD) for H2production. FAD can also be used to hydrogenate or reduce various chemicals by using its in situgenerated hydrogen, which exhibits superiority over the direct use of H2gas. Herein, by using FAD to reduce Cr(vi) as a room-temperature probe reaction, we show that some Pd atoms in the catalyst form PdHxunder normal conditions during both catalyst preparation and catalytic reaction (NaBH4or HCOOH as a hydrogen donor). PdHxgreatly hinders Cr(vi) reduction and, interestingly, boosts H2generation. That is to say, PdHxcan be negative or positive species, depending on the focused product. The reason for this phenomenon was also analyzed. Heat treatment for only 10 min can destroy PdHxspecies and thus, improve the activity for Cr(vi) reduction by up to ∼3 times, which is effective in each catalyst reuse. These findings are critical for controlling the design and functioning of Pd catalyst.

•Benzyl benzoate (BB), an important fine chemical, is synthesized with a green catalytic system•The system is highly efficient, with very high selectivity near full conversion in just 0.5 h•The ester BB is produced directly from the self-coupling of benzyl alcohol•The high catalytic efficiency is achieved by size regulation and proper functionalization of the support•Reaction mechanism for the formation of BB is also put forward

Oil-shale (OS) self-heating retorting (SHR), which can spontaneously increase retorting temperature in the absence of external heat provision, is a low-energy-input retorting process but without the cost of loss in the oil yield. However, because OS decomposition is extremely complex, the sources of the heat used to form SHR are still unclear. In this work, the semicokes obtained from SHR and anaerobic retorting (AR) are analyzed and compared for finding a possible heat source. The results show that a noticeable amount of carbon remains (CRs) are produced and left in the semicoke byproduct during AR, but CRs can be utilized in SHR via in situ exothermically reacting with oxygen during retorting, which serves as a source of the heat used to form SHR. By 500 °C, AR produces ∼3000 J more CRs byproduct than SHR (for per gram of OS); that is, SHR extra utilizes ∼3000 J heat for replacing external energy input. This heat is equivalent to as much as ∼3 times of the heat needed by completing a 550 °C AR process if only the heat adsorbed by OS is considered (i.e., if you do not consider the heat adsorbed by the reactor, the heat lost by radiating outside the reactor, etc.). This work shows the remarkable contribution of CRs to forming SHR, which can be considered as a way of in situ heat generation for decreasing external energy input in the retorting.