Fiona McKenzie, Executive Editor – Page 3 – Catalysis Science & Technology Blog

Author Archive

Biocatalysis themed issue

17 Jul 2012

Catalysis Science & Technology has published its latest themed issue in the topic of Biocatalysis, guest edited by Professor Nick Turner from the University of Manchester.

As Professor Turner details in his Editorial, biotechnology is becoming increasingly more attractive from an industry perspective as the demand for environmentally sustainable processes rises.

Here’s a small taster of the articles included. Click here to browse the full issue.

Review: Different strategies to enahnce the activity of lipase catalysts
Marzia Marciello, Marco Filice and Jose M. Palomo

Review: Exploiting duality in nature: industrial examples of enzymatic oxidation and reduction reactions
K. Robins and A. Osorio-Lozada

Communication: Reductive dehalogenation of β-haloacrylic ester derivatives mediated by ene-reductases
Gábor Tasnádi, Christoph K. Winkler, Dorina Clay, Mélanie Hall and Kurt Faber

Paper: Enantiopure 3-methyl-3,4-dihydroisocoumarins and 3-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines via chemoenzymatic asymmetric transformations
Juan Mangas-Sánchez, Eduardo Busto, Vicente Gotor-Fernández and Vicente Gotor

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Predicting nanoparticle shapes

29 Jun 2012

There is so much research currently being dedicated to nanoparticle catalysts but how can we plan for how they will behave under different temperature conditions?

Amanda Barnard at CSIRO, Australia, has performed theoretical modelling, producing a nanoscale phase diagram that predicts the morphologies of a range of palladium nanocatalysts as a function of the number of atoms or diameter, and temperature.

It seems that under almost all conditions, monocrystalline shapes are thermodynamically preferred with the exception of particularly small nanoparticles at low temperatures, where multiply-twinned decahedra are stable.

To read more about Barnard’s findings, download the Catalysis Science & Technology article today – it’s free…

Mapping the shape and phase of palladium nanocatalysts
Amanda S. Barnard

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At last… a route to 2nd generation Grubbs-methylidene complexes

06 Jun 2012

Catalysis Science & Technology Editorial Board member, Deryn Fogg and her team have found a way to synthesise methylidene derivatives of Grubbs-type second generation catalysts – intermediates in cross metathesis and ring-closing metathesis reactions.

The ability to isolate these complexes (which up until now has only been achieved in relatively low yields) creates an opportunity to gain mechanistic insight into olefin metathesis reactions.

Fogg and her team overcame the problematic low yields of the methylidene-second generation catalysts by taking a step backwards – they focused on the first generation Grubbs catalysts. Unlike, the second generation catalysts, methylidene derivatives of their first generation predecessors can be formed in quantitative yields. Clever ligand exchange of the PCy₃ ligand with free carbenes resulted in the desired second generation complex.

Download the full article to read more – it won’t close you a thing!

Targeting an Achilles heel in olefin metathesis: A strategy for high-yield synthesis of second-generation Grubbs methylidene catalysts
Justin A. M. Lummiss, Nicholas J. Beach, Jeffrey C. Smith and Deryn E. Fogg

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Metathesising butane to liquid hydrocarbon fuels

04 May 2012

Crude oil is running out and its distillation into useful fuel products will soon no longer be an option. So what are we going to do?

Mostafa Taoufik and colleagues from the University of Lyon and BP put forward the methathesis reaction as a solution. Producing liquid hydrocarbons from gaseous light alkanes in this way is ideal since the products have low aromatic content (aromatics pose environmental and health concerns).

No method exists for achieving this under mild conditions and high selectivity – until now.

Taoufik and team have developed a catalytic system consisting of tungsten or tantalum carbene hydrides supported on silica-alumina in a fixed-bed reactor. The multifunctionality of the catalyst enables three different reactions to take place at a single site (dehydrogenation, olefin metathesis, and hydrogenation) ultimately resutling in liquid fuel with an asymmetric product distribution towards heavier alkanes.

To read more, download the PDF now…

Selective conversion of butane into liquid hydrocarbon fuels on alkane metathesis catalysts
Kai C. Szeto, Lucie Hardou, Nicolas Merle, Jean-Marie Basset, Jean Thivolle-Cazat, Charalambos Papaioannou and Mostafa Taoufik

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Reviews in Catalysis

02 May 2012

Are you new to the field of catalysis and searching for a good starting point in the literature?
Are you an experienced researcher on the hunt for a comprehensive overview on recent advances in catalysis?

Then look no further.

Over the past year we have published a number of Perspectives and Mini Reviews authored by world-leading scientists and covering all areas of catalysis.

Scroll down to begin browsing our reviews in:

Asymmetric organocatalysis
Metal-mediated asymmetric catalysis
Fuel synthesis
Nanocatalysis
Biomimetic and biocatalysis
Zeolitic catalysis
Photocatalysis

(more…)

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Recycling slag

26 Apr 2012

Scientists from Japan have used waste slag (the high volume byproduct from iron making) to catalyse biofuel synthesis. Not only does this engineering strategy find a much-needed recycling alternative to slag, but renewable fuel, biodiesel is produced – a sustainable and environmentally-friendly alternative to petrochemicals.

Recycling slag for biodiesel

Use of the slag-made hydrocalumite catalysts for large scale biodiesel synthesis promises an economical and ecological contribution to alleviate the fuel demands of the future.

Read the article here: Transesterifications Using Hydrocalumite Synthesized from Waste Slag: An Economical and Ecological Route for Biofuel Production
Yasutaka Kuwahara, Keita Tsuji, Tetsutaro Ohmichi, Takashi Kamegawa, Kohsuke Mori and Hiromi Yamashita

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Shining light on the Hantzsch reaction

10 Apr 2012

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology have investigated the effect of visible light on the Hantzsch reaction – a method by which to produce dihydropyridines which have found merit for cardiovascular disease treatment. By doing so, they were able to develop a photocatalytic-based methodology for producing 2-arylpyridines. Whilst such compounds are popular in medicinal chemistry and supramolecular coordination chemistry fields, their synthesis can be troublesome.

Armed with a catalytic amount of [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ and a household compact fluorescent lamp, the team synthesised the 2-arylpyridine compound through photocatalytic oxidation of the 1,2-dihydropyridine Hantzsch product.

For further details on the reaction conditions and mechanism, read the the Full Paper:
[Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ Aided Photocatalytic Synthesis of 2-Arylpyridines via Hantzsch Reaction under the Visible Irradiation and Oxygen Atmosphere
Rajakumar Ananthakrishnan and Sarifuddin Gazi

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Heterogenising tungsten POMs for epoxidation catalysis

30 Mar 2012

Tungsten-based polyoxometalates have been identified as ideal catalysts for epoxidation of alkenes, particularly since the corresponding reaction utilises H₂O₂ as the oxidant where only water is produced as the by-product. In order for this catalytic approach to be useful for industrial scale-up, the catalyst must be able to be separated from the products and recycled – heterogeneous catalysis being one route to achieve this.

In their recent HOT Catalysis Science & Technology article, Jean-Marc Clacens and his team describe how the tungsten POMs can be encapsulated within mesoporous silica (SBA-15) to effect the epoxidation of styrene and methyl oleate in solvent-free conditions. By grafting octyl groups onto the surface at the pore entrances, they ensured that the POM species did not leach from the silica, enabling re-use of the catalyst.

Clacen’s method is sure to inspire further research for developing green syntheses of such synthetically valuable epoxide molecules.

Download the article now for free now…
Catalytic epoxidation of styrene and methyl oleate over peroxophosphotungstate entrapped in mesoporous SBA-15
Evelyne Poli, Rodolphe De Sousa, François Jérome, Yannick Pouilloux and Jean-Marc Clacens

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Borderline catalyst has best of both worlds

28 Mar 2012

Heterogeneous catalysts in the powerful Suzuki–Miyaura reaction for forming C–C bonds are still struggling to rival homogeneous ones in terms of catalytic activity, despite being more reusable and easier to recover. But now, scientists from China have made an inorganic-supported palladium catalyst that is soluble in organic solvent for the first time.

The homogenised zirconium phosphate supported catalysts can be used at room temperature and removed from the reaction mixture using solid/liquid separation.

By bridging the shortcomings of both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts, the team have produced a borderline class of catalyst, which can easily be extended to other metal systems.

Read the Catalysis Science & Technology article now…
Homogenization of inorganic material-supported palladium catalysts in Suzuki coupling reaction at room temperature
Yueyue Ma, Xuebing Ma, Qiang Wang and Jinqin Zhou

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Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis in Industry themed issue – welcoming submissions

26 Mar 2012

We are pleased to welcome submissions for the latest Catalysis Science & Technology themed issue, Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis in Industry, guest edited by Professors Johannes de Vries and David Jackson.

The themed issue will focus on the innovative research required before a catalytic process can be transferred to production. We would love to receive your research in topic areas ranging across catalyst library screening; catalytic mechanisms; inhibition and deactivation phenomena; recycling and catalyst regeneration; and the interplay between catalysis and chemical engineering.

The deadline for submissions is 16th May 2012 and can be made through our online submission system. Please mark on your submission that it is for the Catalysis in Industry themed issue but be aware that all manuscripts received will undergo the normal refereeing procedure. Please note that inclusion in the issue is subject to the discretion of the guest editors.

For further guidance on our article types, visit our author guidelines. And feel welcome to contact us in the Editorial Office for more information.

We hope to receive your submission shortly!

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