Reviews – Catalysis Science & Technology Blog

Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

Copper NHCs in catalysis

21 Jan 2013

The first N-heterocyclic carbene-ligated coppper complex was made in the 90’s and no more than a decade later, their potential as catalysts was uncovered. As the number of Cu NHC complexes continues to grow, so does the number of catalytic possibilities.

In their Catalysis Science & Technology Mini Review, Researchers, Egbert, Cazin and Nolan from the University of St Andrews have outlined the reactions which benefit from this neat little complex; from hydrosilylations to allylic substitutions and click chemistry.

Download the article now…

Copper N-heterocyclic carbene complexes in catalysis
Jonathan D. Egbert, Catherine S. J. Cazin and Steven P. Nolan

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Olefin epoxidation – which catalyst to choose?

07 Dec 2012

Simone Hauser, Mirza Cokoja and Fritz Kühn explore recent developments in homogeneous epoxidation catalysts in this hot Catalysis Science & Technology Perspective. They look at the different catalysts used for different olefins as well as thinking about the context in which the catalysts would be used.

The manuscript is currently free so download it now, it might help you decide which catalyst to use….

Epoxidation of olefins with homogeneous catalysts – quo vadis?
Simone A. Hauser, Mirza Cokoja and Fritz E. Kühn
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2013
DOI: 10.1039/C2CY20595E

Other Catalysis Science & Technology articles by the same author are:

Xylyltrioxorhenium – the first arylrhenium(VII) oxide applicable as an olefin epoxidation catalyst
Stefan Huber, Mirza Cokoja, Markus Drees, János Mínk and Fritz E. Kühn
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2013
DOI: 10.1039/C2CY20371E, Paper

PtO₂ as a “self-dosing” hydrosilylation catalyst
Sophie Putzien, Eckhart Louis, Oskar Nuyken and Fritz E. Kühn
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2012, 2, 725-729
DOI: 10.1039/C2CY00367H

Methyltrioxorhenium-catalysed oxidation of pseudocumene in the presence of amphiphiles for the synthesis of vitamin E
Mónica Carril, Philipp Altmann, Werner Bonrath, Thomas Netscher, Jan Schütz and Fritz E. Kühn
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2012, 2, 722-724
DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00313E

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Outstanding organocatalysis: An article collection

13 Jun 2012

Catalysts are key to some of the most important reactions on the planet; a world without the Haber process or catalysts to crack crude oil is difficult to imagine. Not to mention the enzymatic reactions that are crucial to all life on earth.

Organocatalysts are an important class of catalyst and consist of carbon-based molecules often functionalised with oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen or phosphorus. They have shown promise in a range of reactions including hydrogenation, Diels-Alder, Michael and Mannich reactions, and are of particular interest in asymmetric reactions.

To help keep you up-to-date with the latest in cutting-edge organocatalytic research we have made the following articles free to access until the 9th July. After reading all these there will be little you won’t know about the exciting world of organocatalysis!

Click here for the full list of free articles

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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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Understanding titania nanotubes for photocatalysis

20 Mar 2012

Titania nanotubes have promising photo-oxidative and photo-reductive activities.

Kimberly Gray and Kevin Schwartzenberg from Northwestern University present an overview on the synthesis, characterisation and applications of titania nanotubes from a photocatalytic angle in this Hot Perspective. A greater appreciation of the different properties of the inner and outer surfaces of titania nanotubes will aid the fundamental understanding of chemical, optical and electrical processes occurring in applications such as for solar fuel production.

Read the Perspective for free…

Nanostructured Titania: the current and future promise of Titania nanotubes
Kevin C. Schwartzenberg and Kimberly A. Gray
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2012
DOI: 10.1039/C2CY00538G

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The quest for cleaner, cheaper, more sustainable energy

12 Mar 2012

While the earth’s reserves of non-renewable energy are reducing…. our demands for energy are not. Given this is unsustainable, there is a global need to both reduce our energy consumption and develop more sustainable energy sources. Catalysis is a key player in this, potentially providing direct, efficient and economical routes to energy generation.

Here we have selected a few papers from Catalysis Science & Technology which look to develop and review catalyst based technologies for renewable energy. To mark Catalysis Science & Technology‘s recent launch, all articles are free to access for the duration of 2012.

Click here to read more

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Minireview: Catalytic Alloys

16 Feb 2012

In heterogeneous catalysis material surface and surface conformation play a vital role in catalysis. Materials such as alloys often contain a very different chemical composition at the surface compared to the bulk material, referred to as surface segregation this phenomenon is largely controlled by surface energy. Unfortunately surface energy alone cannot accurately predict the alloys catalytic activity as there are a range of other parameters which influence reaction rates.

This review by Spiros Zafeiratos, Simone Piccininb and Detre Teschner discusses the behaviour of some of the most important bimetallic catalysts, looking at the theoretical and practical aspects of their reactions. The authors also discuss the importance of in situ analysis of surfaces to understand reaction mechanisms, looking at how APPES, XANES, FT-IR, STM and theoretical approaches have been used to better understand these alloy surfaces during reaction.

All articles in Catalysis Science & Technology are free to access for the duration of 2012, so you can download this article today for free.

Alloys in catalysis: phase separation and surface segregation phenomena in response to the reactive environment
Spiros Zafeiratos, Simone Piccinin and Detre Teschner
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2CY00487A

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Hot Perspective: Catalytic Supports

19 Jan 2012

Heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis are two very distinct classes of catalysts, while the former is commonly easier to recover and re-use the latter is often more selective. This review by Prati et al. (Universita degli Studi di Milano) covers the recent advances in catalysts on supports, in particular the support of metal nanoparticles and their catalytic properties.

The accessibility of the particle surface plays an important role in activity with a high surface area giving a higher reaction rate, however it has also been shown that incarceration of particles inside support cavities can be beneficial with respect to resisting leaching and coarsening.

For full details of this topical review and its findings you can download this Hot Perspective now as all articles in Catalysis Science & Technology are free to access for the duration of 2012.

Material science for the support design: a powerful challenge for catalysis
Alberto Villa, Marco Schiavoni and Laura Prati
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2CY00355D

Other interesting articles on nano-scale catalysis can also be found here.

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Advances in catalysis at the nano-scale

16 Jan 2012

The ability to visualise and manipulate materials at the nano-scale has changed the way we think about all topics in science, including catalysis. There has been substantial research into the production, application and mechanisms of nano-catalysts given the industrial, economic and environmental benefits they can bring. A few interesting reviews from Catalysis Science & Technology which highlight such developments are listed below and are free to access for the duration of 2012.

Studying Fischer–Tropsch catalysts using transmission electron microscopy and model systems of nanoparticles on planar supports
P. C. Thüne, C. J. Weststrate, P. Moodley, A. M. Saib, J. van de Loosdrecht, J. T. Miller and J. W. Niemantsverdriet
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, 1, 689-697
DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00056J

Superparamagnetic nanoparticles for asymmetric catalysis—a perfect match
Kalluri V. S. Ranganath and Frank Glorius
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, 1, 13-22
DOI: 10.1039/C0CY00069H

Unique catalytic features of Ag nanoclusters for selective NOx reduction and green chemical reactions
Kenichi Shimizu, Kyoichi Sawabe and Atsushi Satsuma
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, 1, 331-341
DOI: 10.1039/C0CY00077A

Nanokinetics for nanocatalysis
Dmitry Yu. Murzin
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2011, 1, 380-384
DOI: 10.1039/C0CY00084A

Mimicking nature’s strategies for the design of nanocatalysts
Rohit Bhandari, Ryan Coppage and Marc R. Knecht
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1CY00350J

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N-Heterocycles via zeolite catalysts

04 Jan 2012

N-Heterocycles are important in agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, as solvents and reagents. The compounds are widely distributed in nature and the synthesis of specific N-heterocycles is a topic of great interest. This thorough review by V. V. Krishna Mohan Kandepi and Nama Narender examines the application of zeolite molecular sieves to produce a wide range of N-heterocyclic compounds. The authors discuss syntheses from pyridine to bis(indolyl)phenylmethane, an anti-oxidant useful in cancer prevention.

The advantages to using these shape selective acid catalysts include thermal stability, re-usability and they are environmentally friendly. To find out more access this Perspective for free in Catalysis Science & Technology, where all are articles are free to access for the duration of 2012.

Synthesis of N-heterocyclic compounds over zeolite molecular sieve catalysts: an approach towards green chemistry
V. V. Krishna Mohan Kandepi and Nama Narender
Catal. Sci. Technol., 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2CY00162D, Perspective

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