Synthesis of p‐aminophenol from the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene over metal–solid acid bifunctional catalyst

BACKGROUND: A single‐step conversion of nitrobenzene (NB) to p‐aminophenol (PAP) through catalytic hydrogenation is a widely used synthesis route for PAP. The main shortcoming of this route is the use of sulfuric acid for rearrangement of the phenylhydroxylamine (PHA) intermediate. In this paper, S₂O₈^2?/ZrO₂ (PSZ) solid acid and Pt‐S₂O₈^2?/ZrO₂ (Pt‐PSZ) bifunctional catalysts were prepared for the synthesis of PAP in non‐acid medium. RESULTS: Calcination temperature has a substantial effect on the acidity, structure and activity for PHA rearrangement of PSZ. The highest PAP yield was 33.8% over PSZ calcined at 823 K when the reaction was carried out in water at 423 K. A high PAP yield of 23.9% was achieved by a single‐step reaction of nitrobenzene over Pt‐PSZ bifunctional catalysts. CONCLUSION: PSZ solid acid exhibits high activity for PHA rearrangement. Perfect tetragonal ZrO₂ and much stronger acid sites play important roles in catalytic activity. Inhibiting the hydrogenation activity by reducing the amount of Pt loading on Pt‐PSZ can improve the competition of PHA rearrangement on acid sites with hydrogenation of PHA on metal active sites, resulting in better selectivity to PAP. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Influence of Pt particle size on catalytic combustion of xylenes on carbon aerogel-supported Pt catalysts

Pt catalysts supported on a carbon aerogel with different Pt particle sizes were studied in the combustion of o-xylene and m-xylene. Results found show that the activity of the catalysts increased with larger Pt particle size. In addition, the catalysts were activated during consecutive combustion runs and during time on stream. This activation depends on the Pt particle size and type of xylene isomer. Activation was due to the increase in Pt particle size during reaction. The lower activity of catalysts with smaller Pt particle size was due to the stronger PtO bonds formed during xylene combustion by the smaller Pt particles.     

The effect of support morphology on the reaction of oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene at short contact times

The oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane is carried out in short contact time reactors over Pt and LaMnO₃ based catalysts supported on a large number of different ceramic substrates (45, 60 and 80 ppi foam monoliths and 200, 400, 600, 900 and 1200 cpsi honeycomb monoliths). Experimental results, obtained under the same conditions at varying the C₂H₆/O₂ ratio, showed that the highest performance in terms of ethylene selectivity and yield is always attained on LaMnO₃ catalysts. Furthermore, the results are significantly influenced by the morphology and cell density of the support, with 45 and 60 ppi foams and 400 and 600 cpsi honeycombs giving the best performance. The experimental results are explained by means of geometrical and fluid dynamic considerations on the support, and by means of a 2D mathematical model, which clearly indicates an optimal intermediate cell density for maximising ethylene selectivity and yield.     

Annotations and the collaborative digital library: Effects of an aligned annotation interface on student argumentation and reading strategies

Recent research on annotation interfaces provides provocative evidence that anchored, annotation-based discussion environments may lead to better conversations about a text. However, annotation interfaces raise complicated tradeoffs regarding screen real estate and positioning. It is argued that solving this screen real estate problem requires limiting the number of annotations displayed to users. In order to understand which annotations have the most learning value for students, this paper presents two complementary studies examining the effects of annotations on students performing a reading-to-write task. The first study used think-aloud protocols and a within-subjects methodology, finding that annotations appeared to provoke students to reflect more critically upon the primary text. This effect was particularly strong when students encountered pairs of annotations presenting different viewpoints on the same section of text. Student interviews suggested that annotations were most helpful when they caused the reader to consider and weigh conflicting viewpoints. The second study used a between-subjects methodology and a more naturalistic task to provide complementary evidence that annotations encourage more reflective responses to a text. This study found that students who received annotated materials both perceived themselves and were perceived by instructors as less reliant on unreflective summary strategies than students who received the same content but in a different format. These findings indicate that the learning value of an annotation lies in its ability to provoke students to consider and weigh new perspectives on the primary text. When selected effectively, annotations provide a critical scaffolding that can support students’ critical thinking and argumentation activities. Collaborative digital libraries and applications for the Web 2.0 should be designed with this learning framework in mind.     

Effect of carbon surface oxidation on platinum supported carbon particles on the performance of gas diffusion electrodes for the oxygen reduction reaction

The effect of carbon surface oxidation on platinum supported carbon particles (Pt/C) with nitric acid was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, polarization experiments and chronoamperometry. Cyclic voltammograms, polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectra showed that the treated catalyst had much larger active surface area and higher ionic conductivity than the untreated catalyst, and provided enhanced performance for oxygen reduction. The formation of acidic groups was examined by IR spectra. The Pt/C surface oxidation had a large effect on the performance of a gas diffusion electrode for oxygen reduction reaction.     

Maghnite‐H+, a solid catalyst for the cationic polymerization of α‐methylstyrene

The polymerization of α‐methylstyrene (AMS) catalyzed by Maghnite‐H⁺ (Mag‐H) was investigated. Mag‐H is a montmorillonite sheet silicate clay, exchanged with protons. It was found that the cationic polymerization of AMS is initiated by Mag‐H at ambient temperature in bulk and in solution. The effect of the amount of Mag‐H, the temperature, and the solvent was studied. The polymerization rate increased with increase in the temperature and the proportion of catalyst, and it was larger in nonpolar solvents. These results indicated the cationic nature of the polymerization. It may be suggested that the polymerization is initiated by proton addition to monomer from Mag‐H. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Characterization of supported Pd-Pt catalysts by chemical probes

The temperature programmed (palladium) hydride decomposition appeared very effective method for diagnosing the extent of alloying in Pd-Pt/SiO₂ catalysts. Introduction of Pt to Pd catalysts moves the TPHD peak gradually towards lower temperatures and the shift in hydride decomposition peak is accompanied by a decrease in the amount of released hydrogen. The catalysts prepared the direct redox method showed much better alloy homogeneity than the samples prepared by coimpregnation. The results of probing with other techniques, i.e. catalytic probing with hydrodechlorination of CCl₂F₂ and XRD, were in line with TPHD data. The catalytic probing showed the presence of synergistic effect, a clear indication of Pd-Pt mixing. XRD data of post-reaction samples showed carbon incorporation into Pd-rich phase, whereas separate Pt-rich phase did not experience any bulk carbiding.     

机械合金化制备负载型非晶态Ni－Nb纳米粒子催化材料

用机械合金化法制备了负载型非晶态Ｎｉ－Ｎｂ／ＳｉＯ２纳米粒子，粒径约为１０ｎｍ，硅胶的加入不仅大大加速了金属合金化的过程，而且使金属粒子比较均匀地分散在ＳｉＯ２中。这种材料比之单纯的纳米粒子更适合于作为催化剂。     

Influence of water and ammonia on hydrotreating catalysts and activity for tetralin hydrogenation

The effects of H₂O and NH₃ on the kinetics of the liquid phase hydrogenation of tetralin to decalin at 6.9 MPa and 330°C over commercial P---Ni---Mo/alumina catalysts in the presence of H₂S have been investigated. H₂O functioned as a mild kinetic inhibitor to an extent sensitive to the H₂S level. Quasi in situ XPS was used to investigate the catalyst structure after exposure to H₂0/H₂S.     

Interaction of H2,n-butane and cis-2-butene with Pt and Pt In in NaY: a microcalorimetric study

Pt NaY and Pt In NaY adsorption properties have been compared by using probes like H₂, C₄H₁₀, 2-C₄H₈ and microcalorimetry. It appears that the addition of In to Pt does not change the initial heat of H₂ chemisorption but decreases the initial heat of butane and butene chemisorption.