Catalysis Science & Technology Blog

Bruce Gates and colleagues from the University of California look at the conversion of lignin-derived bio-oils by a platinum-aluminium oxide catalyst in this Catalysis Science & Technology Hot article.

This work focuses on the kinetics of the reaction, looking at what products are made and why, which will allow a better understanding of the bifunctional catalyst used. Lignocellulosic biomass is used to create biofuels, but the fundamental chemistry of bio-oil conversion like this is poorly understood, something which the team aim to correct.

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Catalytic conversion of compounds representative of lignin-derived bio-oils: a reaction network for guaiacol, anisole, 4-methylanisole, and cyclohexanone conversion catalysed by Pt/γ-Al2O3
Ron C. Runnebaum, Tarit Nimmanwudipong, David E. Block and Bruce C. Gates
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00169H

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Read the recently published Hot Communication on in Catalysis Science & Technology!

In a collaboration between the UK, Sweden and the US, Clarke, France and Kann have found a way to produce a range of new phosphine-diamine ligands from phosphino-aldehydes. In the article, they also hypothesise that larger P-substituents would increase the enantioselectivity towards the (S) isomer in Ru-catalysed ketone hydrogenation of acetophenone.

Their investigations confirm the mechanism of operation of these important catalysts….. find out what they found it to be by reading their short communication.

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Exploring the role of phosphorus substituents on the enantioselectivity of Ru-catalysed ketone hydrogenation using tridentate phosphine-diamine ligands
Scott D. Phillips, Kristian H. O. Andersson, Nina Kann, Michael T. Kuntz, Marcia B. France, Piotr Wawrzyniak and Matthew L. Clarke
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00253H

This Catalysis Science & Technology Hot article showcases a collaboration between the University of Oxford and Johnson Matthey where they make a palladium catalyst with interstitial carbons for fine chemical catalysis in the liquid phase.

This paper will be included in the Heterogeneous Catalysis for Fine Chemicals theme issue, which focuses on  catalysis for fine chemicals synthesis, preparative chemistry and drug discovery, guest edited by Graham Hutchings and Mario Pagliaro.

Here they use a hydrothermal technique with glucose as the capping agent and supporting matrix, which when heated allows the carbon atoms to occupy the octahedral holes in the palladium framework.

Shik Chi Tsang from the University of Oxford comments, that in this research the catalyst they create will ‘prove highly beneficial for liquid phase hydrogenations of alkyne to alkene, one of the key steps in the pharmaceuticals, fragrances and fine chemical catalysis’.

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Palladium with interstitial carbon atoms as a catalyst for ultraselective hydrogenation in the liquid phase
Chun Wong Aaron Chan, Kin Yip Tam, James Cookson, Peter Bishop and Shik Chi Tsang
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00257K

An increased industrial demand for propene, and potential applications in the processing of renewable raw materials has led to a strong renewal of interest in development of
heterogeneous olefin metathesis catalysis. Olefin metathesis proceeds through the formation of metal carbene initiating and propagating species. On contact with the reactant, catalyst precursors generate metal carbene initiating sites.  Active polycrystalline molybdenum carbide foils may be prepared through carbonyl bond breaking in chemisorbed aldehydes and ketones to yield surface alkylidene and oxo groups.  In this HOT article, helium ion microscopy imaging is used to characterize the foil as a first step towards determining if the carbide structure plays an important role in the olefin metathesis related surface chemistry.

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Spectroscopic and structural characterization of the formation of olefin metathesis initiating sites on unsupported ß-Mo₂C
I. Temprano, G. Goubert, G. Behan, H. Zhang and P. H. McBreen
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00180A

In this Catalysis Science & Technology Hot article Houshang Alamdari and colleagues from the University of Laval, Canada, use a mechanosynthesis technique to make nanocrystalline hexaaluminate-type mixed oxides for use as heterogeneous catalysts.

The team make a material with high surface area and catalytic activity, with crystals of about 20nm. The technique is great because it is easy to scale-up and does not require waste treatment or complicated process control.

Similar materials have been used as catalysts in the high temperature catalytic combustion of methane, so perhaps this technique will find a future there!

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Solvent free synthesis of nanocrystalline hexaaluminate-type mixed oxides with high specific surface areas for CO oxidation reaction
Said Laassiri, Daniel Duprez, Sébastien Royer and Houshang Alamdari
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00211B

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In this Catalysis Science & Technology Hot article Amanda Barnard and colleagues present the first nanoscale phase diagram of colloidal nanoparticle catalysts made of platinum.

They are investigating how to optimise platinum catalysts by modifying their shape, and so use a theoretical nanomorphology model previously used on nanogold to understand platinum nanocatalysts.

Nanocatalysts like this are desirable because they allow a smaller amount of a valuable metal to be used, making them cheaper and more sustainable.

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Morphology mapping of platinum catalysts over the entire nanoscale
A. S. Barnard, H. Konishi and H. F. Xu
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00238D

Read more about Amanda Barnard’s work by visiting her webpage at CSIRO, Australia

In this Catalysis Science & Technology Hot article Robert S. Phillips and Musa M. Musa review recent developments in using biocatalysts to make asymmetric hydrophobic alcohols.

They particularly look into the use of non-aqueous media with alcohol dehydrogenases, which allows enzymes to be more versatile.

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Recent advances in alcohol dehydrogenase-catalyzed asymmetric production of hydrophobic alcohols
Musa M. Musa and Robert S. Phillips
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00160D

This HOT article represents the first example of thermoregulation of the surface activity of an amphiphilic phosphane by a cyclodextrin.  This allows good activities at temperatures >100 ºC and good separations at 80 ºC and has the potential to be applied to other processes.

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Supramolecularly controlled surface activity of an amphiphilic ligand. Application to aqueous biphasic hydroformylation of higher olefins
Natacha Six, Antonella Guerriero, David Landy, Maurizio Peruzzini, Luca Gonsalvi, Frédéric Hapiot and Eric Monflier
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00156F

In this Catalysis Science & Technology Hot article Liqiang Xu and co-workers from Shandong University, China, make hexagonal boron nitride submicro-boxes and test their photocatalytic properties.

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High yield synthesis of novel boron nitride submicro-boxes and their photocatalytic application under visible light irradiation
Meng Wang, Menghua Li, Liqiang Xu, Liancheng Wang, Zhicheng Ju, Guangda Li and Yiti Qian
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00111F

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