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Pyrolysis oil (PO) is an inexpensive biofuel produced via the fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. However, PO is unstable and has low energy density, making it unsuitable as a fuel in conven...

Guerbet coupling to oligomerize ethanol to heavy alcohols over a hydroxyapatite (HAP) catalyst is explored through the development and application of a reaction kinetics model that describes coupli...

Catalytic C–H bond activation of methane and ethane on a series of silica supported platinum catalysts (Pt/SiO2) was studied by using hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange. Kinetic experiments demonstrate that under the reaction conditions studied, the rate of C–H bond activation shows approximate first order dependence in alkane and inverse first order dependence in D2. The rate of C–H activation is affected by the presence of sodium on the silica support, where sodium-free supports have the fastest rates of C–H activation, as assessed by H/D exchange. CO adsorption and FTIR studies indicate that the Pt particles on the sodium-free support are more electron-deficient, having the most blue-shifted linear CO stretch, while sodium-containing supports are more electron-donating, having the most red-shifted linear CO stretch. It is proposed, based on the results described in this article and previous work in the literature, that more electron-donating supports cause the Pt particles to be more electron-rich and t...

Supercritical methanol depolymerization and hydrodeoxygenation (SCM-DHDO) of biomass is a technology to produce C2–C9 alcohols in a single reaction step. Previous research has shown that this techn...

We report a comparative study of isolated FeII, iron oxide particles, and metallic nanoparticles on silica for non-oxidative propane dehydrogenation. It was found that the most selective catalyst was an isolated FeII species on silica prepared by grafting the open cyclopentadienide iron complex, bis(2,4-dimethyl-1,3-pentadienide) iron(II) or Fe(oCp)2. The grafting and evolution of the surface species was elucidated by 1H NMR, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopies. The oxidation state and local structure of surface Fe were characterized by X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure. The initial grafting of iron proceeds by one surface hydroxyl Si–OH reacting with Fe(oCp)2 to release one diene ligand (oCpH), generating a SiO2-bound FeII(oCp) species, 1-FeoCp. Subsequent treatment with H2 at 400 °C leads to loss of the remaining diene ligand and formation of nanosized iron oxide clusters, 1-C. Dispersion ...

Control over the oxidation state and crystalline phase of thin-film iron oxides was achieved by low-temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD), utilizing a novel iron precursor, bis(2,4-methylpentadienyl)iron. This low-temperature (T = 120 °C) route to conformal deposition of crystalline Fe3O4 or α-Fe2O3 thin films is determined by the choice of oxygen source selected for the second surface half-reaction. The approach employs ozone to produce fully oxidized α-Fe2O3 or a milder oxidant, H2O2, to generate the Fe(2+)/Fe(3+) spinel, Fe3O4. Both processes show self-limiting surface reactions and deposition rates of at least 0.6 Å/cycle, a significantly high growth rate at such mild conditions. We utilized this process to prepare conformal iron oxide thin films on a porous framework, for which α-Fe2O3 is active for photocatalytic water splitting.

Tuning the aryl substituents of N,N′-diaryl-2,3-dimethyl-1,4-diaza-1,3-butadiene (DAB) ligands promotes the challenging C–C bond-forming reductive elimination from PtIV diimine complexes [(DAB)Pt(CH3)3(solvent)]+ (2) under mild conditions. Experimental results and density functional calculations indicate that 2,6-aryl substitution promotes reductive elimination by facilitating dissociation of the coordinating solvent by close to 10 kcal mol–1, but too much steric bulk inhibits the formation of 2 in the one-electron outersphere oxidation of (DAB)Pt(CH3)2 (1).

Copper-dioxygen (CuO2) adducts are frequently proposed as intermediates in enzymes, yet their electronic and vibrational structures have not always been understood. [Cu(eta1-O2)TMG3tren]+ (TMG3tren = 1,1,1-tris{2-[N2-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidino)]ethyl}amine) features end-on (eta1) O2 coordination in the solid state. Described here is an investigation of the compound's solution properties by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, density functional calculations, and oxygen isotope effects. The study yields two major findings. First, [Cu(eta1-O2)TMG3tren]+ is paramagnetic due to a triplet electronic structure; this is in contrast to other copper compounds where O2 is bound in a side-on manner. Second, the oxygen equilibrium isotope effect upon O2 binding to copper(I) (18O EIE [triple bond] K(16O16O)/K(16O18O) = 1.0148 +/- 0.0012) is significantly larger than those determined for iron and cobalt eta1-O2 adducts. This result is suggested to reflect greater ionic (CuII-O2-I) character within the valence bond description. A revised interpretation of the physical origins of the 18O EIEs upon O2 binding to redox metals is also advanced along with experimental data that should be used as benchmarks for interpreting 18O kinetic isotope effects upon enzyme reactions.