Tetsuya Shishido and co-workers from Kyoto University summarise recent progress in investigating the reaction mechanism to explain this important photocatalytic effect.
Read the full review article for FREE to find out more…
A unique photo-activation mechanism by “in situ doping” for photo-assisted selective NO reduction with ammonia over TiO2 and photooxidation of alcohols over Nb2O5
Tetsuya Shishido, Kentaro Teramura and Tsunehiro Tanaka
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00104C
Fructosyltransferase is extracted from Rhoduoturula, a strain of yeast found in flowers in the rainforests of Southern Brazil. It is used to catalyse the transformation of sucrose into fructooligosaccharides, which promote the growth of certain probiotics in the human digestive system.
In this paper the authors aim to describe a kinetic mathematical model for how the enzyme works, to help in the design of a fructooligosaccharide production bioreactor.
Read the full article for FREE to find out more about these enzymes…
Kinetic studies and modelling of the production of fructooligosaccharides by fructosyltransferase from Rhodotorula sp
Mónica B. Alvarado-Huallanco and Francisco Maugeri Filho
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C0CY00059K
The formation of such bonds is important in organic chemistry, and various transition metal catalysed cross-coupling reactions have been investigated before, however this new method achieves excellent yields, is easily recyclable and easy to use.
This work is part of the authors research into organochalcogen derivatives for biological and asymmetric transformations.
Read the full article for FREE to find out more about C-S cross-coupling…
C–S cross-coupling of thiols with aryl iodides under ligand-free conditions using nano copper oxide as a recyclable catalyst in ionic liquid
Ricardo S. Schwab, Devender Singh, Eduardo E. Alberto, Paulo Piquini, Oscar E. D. Rodrigues and Antonio L. Braga
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00091H
Professor Cynthia Friend talks about her passion for catalysis and her work in meeting the challenges of energy production…
Why did you choose to work in the area of catalysis?
Catalysis fascinated me because it is based on kinetic control of reaction product distributions. Initially, I was attracted to the challenge of using reaction mechanisms to understand how to use kinetics to obtain desired products. Heterogeneous catalysis was particularly interesting to me because of the added complexity of interfaces, emerging tools for studying interfaces, and the parallels with homogeneous catalysis and coordination chemistry. The importance of catalysis in meeting the challenges in energy production and in the development of green chemical processes have led to a surge of interest in catalysis and an amplification of my interest in the field.
What projects are you working on at the moment?
My laboratory is working on major projects: Fundamental studies of coinage metal catalysts, with an emphasis on the use of Au-based catalysis as a route to energy-efficient complex oxidative transformations; and, photochemical and chemical processes on metal oxides and sulfides for solar energy conversion. In both of
these projects we study model systems using surface chemistry
What achievement are you most proud of?
In science, I am most proud of helping to develop the careers of young scientists in my lab and to watch them branch out into many areas.
What would you say is the biggest challenge in your field of catalysis at the moment?
The biggest challenge is to understand how to control materials properties at the molecular and mesoscale level to promote specific reactions efficiently. Energy-efficient production of clean-burning fuels is of broad importance and a major challenge.
Welcome to the Catalysis Science & Technology Editorial Board! What excites you most about your new position of co-Editor-in-Chief?
The opportunity to help shape a new RSC journal in this important field is an exciting venture. We have the opportunity to showcase important work across the diverse range of catalysis— heterogeneous, homogeneous and biological. I am excited about the possibility of integrating concepts across these fields.
The first articles for Catalysis Science & Technology are now appearing online, which is very exciting, have any of the articles particularly caught your eye?
I have found two articles to be particularly interesting:
1. “Dynamic atomic scale in situ electron microscopy in the development of an efficient heterogeneous catalytic process for pharmaceutical NSAIDS” by P.L. Gai, etal. DOI: 10.1039/c0cy00063a.
This article shows how new and emerging tools using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are providing new insights into the structure and associated function of complex metal oxide catalysts.
2. “Rapid synthesis of nanostructured Cu–TiO2–SiO2 composites for CO2 photoreduction by evaporation driven self-assembly” by P. Biswas etal., DOI: 10.1039/c0cy00091d.
This article also used TEM and also investigated composite oxides with Cu as a possible catalyst for CO2 reduction to CO.
What advice would you give to a young scientist?
My advice is to follow your instincts and to enjoy yourself in the process of pursuing your work. To be a successful scientist, you need to be creative, patient and persistent.
What would you do if you weren’t a scientist?
This is a difficult question because it is hard for me to imagine doing anything else—I truly love my work. I do have other interests that I might pursue more vigorously if I were not a scientist. I enjoy writing and I also am very involved in sports. At a younger age and in a different era, I might have become a professional golfer. I still play competitively and love enjoying the outdoors.
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Catalysis Science & Technology was proud to sponsor one of the poster session at the recent 34th Annual British Zeolite Association Conference in Edinburgh.
The Catalysis Science & Technology poster prize was awarded to Zhao Chao from the University of Birmingham, for a poster entitled “Hydrothermal Synthesis and Ion Exchange Properties of New Zinc Phosphonate Materials”
Read more about the British Zeolite Association, or find out more about the research happening in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham…
Read more about zeolites in these recently published Catalysis Science & Technology articles:
Catalytic activity and extra-large pores of germanosilicate UTL zeolite demonstrated with decane test reaction
Nataliia Kasian, Gina Vanbutsele, Kristof Houthoofd, Tamas I. Koranyi, Johan A. Martens and Christine E. A. Kirschhock
Aluminium atomic layer deposition applied to mesoporous zeolites for acid catalytic activity enhancement
Sreeprasanth Pulinthanathu Sree, Jolien Dendooven, Tamás I. Korányi, Gina Vanbutsele, Kristof Houthoofd, Davy Deduytsche, Christophe Detavernier and Johan A. Martens
Two-dimensional zeolites: dream or reality?
Wieslaw J. Roth and Jiří Čejka
Stoichiometric formation of benzene and ketones by photocatalytic dechlorination of chlorobenzene in secondary alcohol suspensions of palladium-loaded titanium(IV) oxide powder in the presence of sodium ion sources
Kojirou Fuku, Keiji Hashimoto and Hiroshi Kominami
CoAPO-5-type molecular sieve membrane: synthesis, characterization and catalytic performance
Manickam Sasidharan, Yoshimichi Kiyozumi and Asim Bhaumik
Catalysis Science & Technology is celebrating Easter by highlighting all recently published review articles.
Thank you to all our authors and referees who have made Catalysis Science & Technology such a success since its launch last year.
A review of NOx storage/reduction catalysts: mechanism, materials and degradation studies
Gang Liu and Pu-Xian Gao
Selectivity via catalyst or substrate control in catalytic asymmetric transformations of bifunctional symmetrical substrates
David S. Glueck
Design strategies for engineering selectivity in bio-inspired heterogeneous catalysts
David J. Xuereb and Robert Raja
Recent advances in asymmetric catalysis with cinchona alkaloid-based primary amines
Lin Jiang and Ying-Chun Chen
Deactivation and regeneration of wet air oxidation catalysts
Sylvain Keav, Jacques Barbier and Daniel Duprez
Non-covalent immobilization of asymmetric organocatalysts
Long Zhang, Sanzhong Luo and Jin-Pei Cheng
Hydrogen production from ethanol via inorganic membrane reactors technology: a review
A. Iulianelli and A. Basile
Nanokinetics for nanocatalysis
Dmitry Yu. Murzin
Unique catalytic features of Ag nanoclusters for selective NOx reduction and green chemical reactions
Kenichi Shimizu, Kyoichi Sawabe and Atsushi Satsuma
A review of the development of nitrogen-modified carbon-based catalysts for oxygen reduction at USC
Gang Liu, Xuguang Li, Jong-Won Lee and Branko N. Popov
Challenge and progress: palladium-catalyzed sp3 C–H activation
Hu Li, Bi-Jie Li and Zhang-Jie Shi
Carbene insertion into transition metal–carbon bonds: a new tool for catalytic C–C bond formation
Nicole M. G. Franssen, Annemarie J. C. Walters, Joost N. H. Reek and Bas de Bruin
Well-defined copper(I) complexes for Click azide–alkyne cycloaddition reactions: one Click beyond
Silvia Díez-González
Heterogeneous catalysis of the glycerol hydrogenolysis
Yoshinao Nakagawa and Keiichi Tomishige
Join these authors and submit your work now!
Dr Jamie Humphrey, Managing Editor of Catalysis Science & Technology will be attending the 17th Rideal Conference, hosted by the Cardiff Catalysis Institute in the Cardiff School of Chemistry between April 19th 2011 and April 21st 2011.
Professor Cynthia Friend, our co-Editor-in-Chief, will also be there, as a keynote speaker.
If you are attending please get in touch, Jamie will be delighted to speak to you.
To find out more about the Rideal conference visit their website:
http://www.rideal.cf.ac.uk/index.html
Find out what other conferences members of the Editorial Offices will be attending.
Catalysis Science & Technology were delighted to sponsor the poster competition at the Applied Catalyst Deactivation symposium in Billingham, UK, hosted by the RSC Applied Catalysis Group.
Judging was by eminent trio Prof David Jackson, Prof Ken Waugh & Dr John Casci, who awarded the best poster prize to Helen Daly, from Queens University Belfast.
Helen’s work was entitled ‘The effect of reaction conditions on the stability of Au/CeZrO4 catalysts in the low temperature water gas shift reaction’, and is part of her research in Chris Hardacre’s group in Belfast.
Mike Wood, Vice President of research and development at Davy Process Technology, commented that ‘We were particularly pleased with the quality of all the posters and quantity’
In this Catalysis Science & Technology Hot article Nigel S. Scrutton and coworkers from the University of Manchester look at pentaerythritol tetranitrate reductase (PETN reductase) and how site-directed mutagenesis can effect its biocatalytic action.
Scrutton uses PETN, which is a member of the Old Yellow Enzyme family of enzymes. Old Yellow Enzymes were first isolated from brewers’ bottom yeast back in 1932, and they have been extensively studied ever since.
Read the full article to find out more about the role of key active sites in PETN reductase…
Active site modifications in pentaerythritol tetranitrate reductase can lead to improved product enantiopurity, decreased by-product formation and altered stereochemical outcome in reactions with α,β-unsaturated nitroolefins
Anna Fryszkowska, Helen Toogood, Michiyo Sakuma, Gill M. Stephens, John M. Gardiner and Nigel S. Scrutton
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CY00092B, Paper
FREE TO READ!
This Catalysis Science & Technology Hot article presents a comprehensive review of the recent literature on deactivation of heterogenous wet air oxidation catalysts. Jacques Barbier Jr and colleagues from University of Poitiers and CNRS, look at the mechanisms by which this happens and consider some of ways and means of regenerating the catalysts.
Wet air oxidation catalysts are used in the treatment of various wastes from industry, including those formed in paper, textile, food and chemical production and effluents like sewage sludge. Wet air oxidation involves using pressurised oxygen to degrade pollutants in water, and using a catalyst makes this process more efficient, but as with most catalysts, deactivation can be a problem.
Read the full review to find out more about wet air oxidation catalysts and their regeneration…
Deactivation and regeneration of wet air oxidation catalysts
Sylvain Keav, Jacques Barbier and Daniel Duprez
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0CY00085J, Perspective
FREE TO READ until 8th April
