In situ FTIR study on reaction pathways in Ni(CO)4/CH3OK catalytic system for low-temperature methanol synthesis in a liquid medium

An in situ infrared spectroscopic study was conducted to elucidate the reaction pathways for low-temperature methanol synthesis in a catalytic system composed of Ni(CO)₄ and CH₃OK (denoted as Ni(CO)₄/CH₃OK). The reaction was conducted in a liquid medium at 313–333 K with an initial pressure of 3.0 MPa. When CH₃OK was added to Ni(CO)₄ solution at 293 K, different carbonylnickelates, [Ni₅(CO)₁₂]²⁻, [Ni₆(CO)₁₂]²⁻ and [Ni(CO)₃(COOCH₃)]⁻, were immediately formed from Ni(CO)₄. The species and the composition of the carbonylnickel complexes varied with temperature. The variations in concentrations of methanol (MeOH) and methyl formate (MF) during the run, which were determined from their IR absorptions, indicated a pattern characteristic of consecutive reactions with MF as an intermediate. Thus, it was shown that methanol was produced through the carbonylation of MeOH to MF and the subsequent hydrogenation of MF to MeOH. Stable hydridocarbonylnickel anions, [HNi(CO)₃]⁻ and/or [HNi₂(CO)₆]⁻, were observed together with a small amount of Ni(CO)₄ throughout the methanol synthesis. Since Ni(CO)₄ alone showed no activity for the hydrogenation of MF, the hydridocarbonylnickel anions generated in the presence of CH₃OK must be responsible for the reaction. The dual role of CH₃OK in the catalytic system was stated.     

Carbonate-catalyzed chemiluminescence decomposition of peroxynitrite via (CO2)2 intermediate

Peroxynitrous acid (ONOOH) was formed by the on-line rapid reaction of acidified hydrogen peroxide with nitrite in a simple flow system. A weak chemiluminescent (CL) signal was observed due to the production of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) when ONOOH reacted with NaOH, whereas the replacement of NaOH by Na₂CO₃ markedly enhanced the CL intensity. The predominant CL-enhanced pathway was achieved by the carbonate-catalyzed decomposition of peroxynitrite (ONOO⁻). Carbonate species was regenerated in the process, that is, carbonate acts as a catalyst. Based on the studies of CL and fluorescence spectra, a possible CL mechanism from the reaction of carbonate with ONOOH was proposed. In brief, ONOOH was an unstable compound in acidic solution and could be quenched into ONOO⁻ in basic media. It was suggested that ONOO⁻ reaction with excess HCO₃⁻ proceeded via one-electron transfer to yield bicarbonate ion radicals (HCO₃√). The recombination of HCO₃√ may directly generate excited triplet dimers of two CO₂ molecules [(CO₂)₂^*]. With the decomposition of this unstable intermediate to CO₂, the energy was released by CL emission. The addition of uranine into carbonate solution caused enhancement of the CL signal, which was due to a part of excited triplet dimers of two CO₂ molecules energy to transfer to uranine, resulting in two CL peaks.     

Thermal- and photoinduced ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP)/(PROMP): an efficient tool in polymer chemistry

Properties and applications of newly developed homogeneous ring-opening metathesis polymerization catalysts as well as photoinduced ring-opening metathesis polymerization catalysts are discussed. It is shown that simple alkyl complexes, e.g. [W(=NPh)(CH₂SiMe₃)₃Cl] as well as [Ru(arene)₂]²⁺ or [Ru(NC–R)₆]²⁺ complexes act as one-component Photo-ROMP initiators. Catalysts with good thermal latency are described for both classes. High quantum yields are observed for the photochemically induced solvation of Ru(II) complexes. Polymer structure and kinetic aspects of the reaction are consistent with [Ru(solvent)₆]²⁺ acting as the catalytically active species. The mechanism of aqueous ROMP with Ru(II) salts is discussed, which differs considerably from the classical ROMP reaction with Schrock-type catalysts in the sense that it is a chain reaction and not a living polymerization. Homo- and copolymers using exo-oxa-norbornene-carboximide ester derivatives were prepared with the ROMP technology and used, inter alia, to formulate very sensitive positive tone high-resolution microresists.     

Polymerization characteristics of in situ supported pentamethylene bridged dinuclear zirconocene

An in situ supporting method was applied to newly synthesized [(CH₂)₅(C₅H₄)₂][(C₉H₇)ZrCl₂]₂ catalyst and other commercial catalysts, and its effects on the polymerization characteristics of these catalysts were examined through reaction experiments. The changes in the molecular weight distribution varied depending on the metallocene catalyst while the changes in the catalytic activity, average molecular weight and the melting point showed the same trend. The reason for the decrease in the molecular weight with in situ supporting was discussed in relation to the co-catalysts. The polymerization characteristics of each catalyst also varied according to the alkyl aluminum, and so it is important to select a proper co-catalyst or a combination of co-catalysts to obtain a desired polymer product from each metallocene catalyst supported by in situ method.     

Polymerization of ethylene: Some aspects of metallocene catalyst stabilization under homogeneous and heterogeneous reaction conditions

The development of metallocene‐based catalysts is an important advance on the study of polyolefinic materials. However, due to the rather different conditions that are established in actual applications, only around 3% of these polymers are obtained from metallocene technology. In view of this, novel strategies must be developed to produce metallocene‐based catalysts that are more thermally stable, which is a fundamental requirement to establish metallocene technologies. Homogeneous and heterogeneous polymerizations of ethylene were compared, using the Ph₂C(Cp)(Flu)ZrCl₂/MAO system. Homogeneous polymerizations were more active than the corresponding supported reactions. At low ethylene pressure, the addition of 1‐hexene increases the activity under homogeneous conditions. Nevertheless, this is not observed on the respective supported systems. At higher pressure conditions, all polymerizations attained higher yields. However, when the reaction temperature increases the activity significantly decreases under homogeneous conditions. Furthermore, when the polymerization was performed under heterogeneous conditions the deactivation was lower. The homogeneous and supported catalytic systems show different characteristics and, in all attempted reactions, immobilization of the molecular catalyst reduces the activity. However, the deactivation ratio was lower when the polymerization was performed under heterogeneous conditions. This means that immobilization of Ph₂C(Cp)(Flu)ZrCl₂ on silica can improve the thermal stability of the catalytic species. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

The CO–H2 and CO–H2O reactions over TiO2 nanotubes filled with Pt metal nanoparticles

We have investigated the catalytic behavior of Pt encapsulated TiO₂ nanotubes for the water gas shift reaction as well as the hydrogenation of CO. Pt–TiO₂ nanotube catalysts were prepared by employing fine fiber shaped crystals of [Pt(NH₃)₄](HCO₃)₂ complex as a structure determining template material. The turnover frequencies (TOF) of these nanotube catalysts were more than one order of magnitude larger than conventional impregnation Pt/TiO₂ catalysts, and the selectivity for methanol in CO–H₂ reaction was extraordinary high compared to the impregnation catalysts. The XPS and XRD analyses of the nanotubes revealed characteristic electronic state of reduced TiO₂ (Ti³⁺ in rutile structure) with zerovalent Pt even after the calcination at 773 K. In WGS reaction, electron rich Ti³⁺ on the nanotube wall may play an important role to activate water molecules for the oxidation of CO. In CO–H₂ reaction, similar promotion effect of Ti³⁺ species may be operating for selective methanol formation by supplying active OH(a).     

Catalytic decomposition of N2O and catalytic reduction of N2O and N2O + NO by NH3 in the presence of O2 over Fe-zeolite

The decomposition of N₂O, and the catalytic reduction by NH₃ of N₂O and N₂O + NO, have been studied on Fe-BEA, -ZSM-5 and -FER catalysts. These catalysts were prepared by classical ion exchange and characterized by TPR after various activation treatments. Fe-FER is the most active material in the catalytic decomposition because “oxo-species” reducible at low temperature, appearing upon interaction of Fe^II-zeolite with N₂O (-oxygen), are formed in largest amounts with this material. The decomposition of N₂O is promoted by addition of NH₃, and even more with NH₃ + NO in the case of Fe-FER and -BEA. It is proposed that the NO-promoted reduction of N₂O originated from the fast surface reaction between -oxygen O^* and NO^* to yield NO₂^*, which in turn reacts immediately with NH₃.     

桥联茂金属催化1-癸烯聚合及其产物结构与性能

采用桥联茂金属催化体系rac-Et(1-Ind)₂ZrCl₂/Al(ⁱBu)₃/[Me₂NHPh]⁺[B(C₆F₅)₄]^-催化1-癸烯聚合,考察了茂金属浓度、Al/Zr摩尔比、B/Zr摩尔比、温度、反应时间对反应转化率、黏度和摩尔质量的影响.当反应条件为1-癸烯20mL、甲苯20mL、Zr/烯摩尔比8×10^-5、Al/Zr摩尔比80、B/Zr摩尔比1.5、温度80℃、反应时间1h时,转化率达到96.2%.采用¹³C NMR和¹H NMR表征了产物的结构,优化条件下所得的聚合产物具有高黏度指数(259)和低分子量分布(2.088),可作为理想的润滑油基础油的原料.     

Bound-state Ni species — a superior form in Ni-based catalyst for CH4/CO2 reforming

The effects of nickel loading, calcination temperature, support, and basic additives on Ni-based catalyst structure and reactivity for CH₄ reforming with CO₂ were investigated. The results show that the structure of the nickel active phase strongly depends on the interactions of the metal and the support, which are related to the support properties, the additives and the preparation conditions. “Free” Ni species can be formed when the interaction is weak and their mobility makes them easily deactivated by coking and sintering. The effect of strong metal-support interaction (SMSI effect) is different for various supports. The formation of solid solution of Ni–Mg–O₂ and the blocking of TiO_x by the partially reduced TiO₂ can both decrease the availability of Ni active sites in Ni/MgO and Ni/TiO₂. The spinel NiAl₂O₄ formed in Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ might be responsible for its high activity and resistance to coking and sintering because it can produce a highly dispersed active phase and a large active surface area as bound-state Ni species when the catalyst is prepared at high calcined temperatures or with low nickel loading. The addition of La₂O₃ or MgO as alumina modifiers can also be beneficial for the performance of the Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst.     

SOL SYNTHESIS OF THE PRECURSOR OF ZIRCONIUM OXIDE IN CITRIC ACID-AMMONIA SOLUTION

The precursor of zirconium oxide is synthesized by the sol-gel method by reacting zirconyi chloride octahydrate (ZrOCl₂ 8H₂O) and citric acid in ammonia solution. The ionized complex compounds (R(COO^-+NH₄)₃) were first formed from the reaction of complex agent (citric acid) and ammonium hydroxide. Zirconyi chloride octahydrate first hydrolyzed to produce zirconium tetranuclear complex molecule [Zr₄(OH)₈(OH₂)_l6(—OOC)₃R]⁸⁺ which subsequently produced a large complex molecule ([Zr₄(OH)₅(OH₂)|₆(—OOC)₃R)⁵⁺ or [Zr₄(OH)₈(OH₂)₁₃(—OOC)₃R]⁵⁺) through the polymerization of zirconium tetramer with the ionized complex agent. The effect of the reaction conditions on the precursor solution's viscosity and average particle size were investigated in order to understand the kinetics of the reaction. A rational reaction mechanism is proposed satisfactorily to explain the formation and growth of the particles and viscosity of the sol.     

Additive effects of trialkylaluminum on propene polymerization with (t-BuNSiMe2Flu)TiMe2-based catalysts

Propene polymerization was conducted by [η³:η¹-tert-butyl(dimethylfluorenylsilyl)amido]dimethyltitanium combined with B(C₆F₅)₃ or methylaluminoxane (MAO) as a cocatalyst in the presence or absence of various trialkylaluminums: Me₃Al, Et₃Al, ⁱBu₃Al (triisobutylaluminum) and Oct₃Al (trioctylaluminum). In the case of living polymerization with B(C₆F₅)₃ at −50°C, addition of Oct₃Al and Et₃Al increased the propagation rate. Et₃Al also acted as a chain transfer reagent and selectively gave Al-terminated polymers, while Oct₃Al induced chain transfer reaction only in high concentration. Little polymer was obtained in the presence of Me₃Al or ⁱBu₃Al. When MAO was used as a cocatalyst, polymerization did not proceed at −50°C. The MAO system, however, showed high activity at 40°C and selectively gave low molecular weight polymers terminated with Al–C bonds. Contrary to the low temperature polymerization with B(C₆F₅)₃ at −50°C, the polymer yield was enhanced by the addition of Me₃Al and ⁱBu₃Al, while the molecular weight was reduced by Me₃Al and enlarged by ⁱBu₃Al. On the other hand, Et₃Al and Oct₃Al significantly decreased both the polymer yield and the molecular weight under these conditions. It was found that additive effects of trialkylaluminums were strongly dependent on polymerization temperature as well as on the structure of the alkyl group.     

Preparation of H5PMo10V2O40 catalyst immobilized on nitrogen-containing mesostructured cellular foam carbon (N-MCF-C) and its application to the vapor-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol

Nitrogen-containing mesostructured cellular foam carbon (N-MCF-C) was synthesized by a templating method using mesostructured cellular foam silica (MCF-S) and polypyrrole as a templating agent and a carbon precursor, respectively. The N-MCF-C was then modified to have a positive charge, and thus, to provide a site for the immobilization of [PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀]⁵⁻. By taking advantage of the overall negative charge of [PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀]⁵⁻, H₅PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀ (PMo₁₀V₂) catalyst was chemically immobilized on the N-MCF-C support as a charge-matching component. Characterization results showed that the PMo₁₀V₂ catalyst was finely dispersed on the N-MCF-C support via strong chemical interaction, and that the pore structure of N-MCF-C was still maintained even after the immobilization of PMo₁₀V₂. In the vapor-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol, the PMo₁₀V₂/N-MCF-C catalyst showed a higher conversion and a higher oxidation activity (formation of benzaldehyde) than the unsupported PMo₁₀V₂ and PMo₁₀V₂/MCF-S catalysts.     

Dehydrogenation of i-butane on CrOx/Al2O3 catalysts prepared by ALE and impregnation techniques

Atomic layer epitaxy (ALE), a technique relying on saturating gas–solid reactions, was applied in the preparation of CrO_x/Al₂O₃ catalysts using Cr(acac)₃ vapor and air as source materials for CrO_x. Vaporized Cr(acac)₃ was reacted with preheated Al₂O₃, and the surface complex formed was treated with air to remove the ligand residues. The Cr loading increased from 1.3 to 12.5 wt.% as the number of saturating Cr(acac)₃ and air reactions was increased from one to 10. CrO_x/Al₂O₃ catalysts were also prepared from solution by incipient wetness impregnation (0.3–21 wt.%). XPS and UV–VIS measurements of the catalysts revealed the presence of both Cr⁶⁺ and Cr³⁺. Although the oxidation state distribution was similar, H₂-temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and solubility measurements indicated that Cr⁶⁺ surface sites were in stronger interaction with Al₂O₃ and more uniformly distributed in the catalysts prepared by ALE than by impregnation. On the basis of the activity of the catalysts in the dehydrogenation of i-butane, we propose that the dehydrogenation reaction uses both reduced Cr⁶⁺, i.e. redox Cr³⁺, and exposed non-redox Cr³⁺ sites. Furthermore, the dehydrogenation reaction must be insensitive to the size of the CrO_x ensembles since activities were similar for the catalysts prepared by ALE and impregnation. The decay of the dehydrogenation activity in successive prereduction–reaction–regeneration cycles was attributed to a decrease in the number of redox Cr³⁺ sites.     

Modified Co3O4/ZrO2 catalysts for VOC emissions abatement

The catalytic activity study of cobalt oxides dispersed on different supports evidenced first the highest performances of zirconia based catalysts in the reaction of toluene oxidation. The influence of the presence of ethylenediamine (en) during the preparation of Co/ZrO₂ and the ZrO₂ support modification by Y₂O₃ were then studied and compared with reference catalyst prepared conventionally by impregnation of ZrO₂ with an aqueous solution of Co(NO₃)₂. Addition of an aqueous solution of ethylenediamine to a cobalt nitrate solution led to a strong increase on the catalytic activity of the activated solids in the toluene deep oxidation as compared with the reference catalyst. The best catalytic results were explained in terms of cobalt oxides dispersion but also in terms of Co–support interaction. The generated cobalt species were reducible at much lower temperatures and then were more active in the toluene total oxidation. Finally an efficient catalyst for VOC oxidation was produced combining the modifications of ZrO₂ by yttrium and of the precursor.     

Hydrodesulfurization of model diesel using Pt/Al2O3 catalysts prepared by supercritical deposition

Pt/Al₂O₃ catalysts with Pt loadings ranging from 0.5 to 11 wt.% were synthesized by supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) deposition method. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the synthesized catalysts contained small Pt nanoparticles (1–4 nm in diameter) with a narrow size distribution, no observable agglomeration, and uniformly dispersed on the alumina support. The catalysts were found to be active for hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) dissolved in n-hexadecane (n-HD) without sulfiding the metal phase. The reaction proceeded only via the direct hydrogenolysis route in the temperature range 310–400 °C and at atmospheric pressure. The activity increased with increasing the metal loading. Increasing [H₂]₀/[DBT]₀ by either increasing [H₂]₀ or decreasing [DBT]₀, increased the DBT conversion. At a fixed weight hourly space velocity and feed concentration, conversion did not increase with increasing temperature beyond 330 °C. The presence of toluene inhibited the catalyst activity presumably due to competitive adsorption between DBT and toluene. Under the operating conditions, the reaction was far from equilibrium.     

AgBr/Zn3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O可见光催化降解亚甲基蓝溶液

采用水热和沉淀两步合成法制备AgBr/Zn₃(OH)₂V₂O₇·2H₂O催化剂,研究其在可见光下降解亚甲基蓝溶液的性能,并考察催化剂用量、亚甲基蓝溶液初始浓度、pH值以及盐浓度对光催化性能的影响,评价AgBr/Zn₃(OH)₂V₂O₇·2H₂O催化剂的重复使用性能。结果表明,在前驱液pH为10、120 ℃水热10 h、Ag与Br物质的量比为0.20条件下制备的复合催化剂在可见光下反应120 min后,1.0 g·L^-1的催化剂对10 mg·L^-1的亚甲基蓝溶液脱色率达到85.2%。NaCl对亚甲基蓝的降解起抑制作用,Na₂SO₄对亚甲基蓝的降解起促进作用。催化剂重复使用4次后,光照120 min后的亚甲基蓝溶液脱色率可达66.4%。催化剂对不同初始浓度亚甲基蓝溶液的光催化降解符合一级动力学模型。     

TiO2–g-C3N4/BMMS光催化氧化脱硫催化剂

为了提高TiO₂的光催化氧化脱硫(PODS)活性,利用负载和复合的协同作用,将TiO₂与g-C₃N₄复合,并负载于双介孔二氧化硅(BMMS)上,制备了TiO₂–g-C₃N₄/BMMS。以含二苯并噻吩(DBT)的十二烷溶液为模拟油,评价了催化剂的催化性能;优化了反应条件并提出了催化反应机理。结果表明:TiO₂–g-C₃N₄/BMMS具有明显的双介孔结构,TiO₂与g-C₃N₄已实现复合并负载于BMMS上,TiO₂–g-C₃N₄活性组分在载体上分散良好,与单一TiO₂相比对光的吸收能力增强,催化活性有明显提高,优化后的反应条件为,催化剂用量3%(质量分数),O/S摩尔比为10:1,萃取剂与模拟油体积比为1:1,此时脱硫率可达96.6%,且重复使用8次后脱硫率仍保持85%以上,PODS过程中的主要活性中间物种是·O₂^–和h⁺。     

Ethylene polymerization with catalysts on the base of Zr-cenes and methylaluminoxanes synthesized on zeolite support

Summary The fixed aluminoxanes have been prepared on zeolite support Na-form of ZSM-5 (Si/Al=42) in reaction of partial hydrolysis of trimethylaluminium (TMA) with inside zeolite water. It was shown that aluminoxanes synthesized on zeolite surface form the heterogenized complexes with Cp₂ ZrCl₂ and Et[Ind]₂ ZrCl₂ which are active in ethylene polymerization without addition of other aluminiumorganic cocatalyst for a long time. The activation energy of ethylene polymerization in the presence of ZSM-5(H₂O)/TMA - Et[Ind]₂ ZrCl₂ is equal to 32 kJ/mol. Molecular weight and melting point of polyethylene obtained with such zeolite supported Zr-cene catalysts are higher than those of polyethylene formed with appropriate homogeneous metallocene systems. Received: 15 February 2000/Revised version: 10 May 2000/Accepted: 10 May 2000     

Polymerization of ethylene and ethylene/1‐hexene over Ziegler‐Natta/Metallocene hybrid catalysts supported on SiO2 prepared by a sol‐gel method

A silica support for use in olefin polymerization was prepared by the gelation of a stable, colloidal phase of silica sol using a MgCl₂ solution as the initiator. The Ziegler‐Natta/Metallocene hybrid catalysts prepared using this support exhibited characteristics of both Ziegler‐Natta and metallocene catalysts. The polymers produced by the hybrid catalysts showed a bimodal molecular weight distribution pattern and two different melting points, corresponding to products arising from each catalyst. This suggests that the hybrid catalysts acted as individual active species and produced a blend of polymers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 2318–2326, 2000     

Reactor and in situ FTIR studies of Pt/BaO/Al2O3 and Pd/BaO/Al2O3 NOx storage and reduction (NSR) catalysts

The reduction of NO under cyclic “lean”/“rich” conditions was examined over two model 1 wt.% Pt/20 wt.% BaO/Al₂O₃ and 1 wt.% Pd/20 wt.% BaO/Al₂O₃ NO_x storage reduction (NSR) catalysts. At temperatures between 250 and 350 °C, the Pd/BaO/Al₂O₃ catalyst exhibits higher overall NO_x reduction activity. Limited amounts of N₂O were formed over both catalysts. Identical cyclic studies conducted with non-BaO-containing 1 wt.% Pt/Al₂O₃ and Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts demonstrate that under these conditions Pd exhibits a higher activity for the oxidation of both propylene and NO. Furthermore, in situ FTIR studies conducted under identical conditions suggest the formation of higher amounts of surface nitrite species on Pd/BaO/Al₂O₃. The IR results indicate that this species is substantially more active towards reaction with propylene. Moreover, its formation and reduction appear to represent the main pathway for the storage and reduction of NO under the conditions examined. Consequently, the higher activity of Pd can be attributed to its higher oxidation activity, leading both to a higher storage capacity (i.e., higher concentration of surface nitrites under “lean” conditions) and a higher reduction activity (i.e., higher concentration of partially oxidized active propylene species under “rich” conditions). The performance of Pt and Pd is nearly identical at temperatures above 375 °C.