Au-Pd separation enhances bimetallic catalysis of alcohol oxidation.

In oxidation reactions catalysed by supported metal nanoparticles with oxygen as the terminal oxidant, the rate of the oxygen reduction can be a limiting factor. This is exemplified by the oxidative dehydrogenation of alcohols, an important class of reactions with modern commercial applications1-3. Supported gold nanoparticles are highly active for the dehydrogenation of the alcohol to an aldehyde4 but are less effective for oxygen reduction5,6. By contrast, supported palladium nanoparticles offer high efficacy for oxygen reduction5,6. This imbalance can be overcome by alloying gold with palladium, which gives enhanced activity to both reactions7,8,9; however, the electrochemical potential of the alloy is a compromise between that of the two metals, meaning that although the oxygen reduction can be improved in the alloy, the dehydrogenation activity is often limited. Here we show that by separating the gold and palladium components in bimetallic carbon-supported catalysts, we can almost double the reaction rate compared with that achieved with the corresponding alloy catalyst. We demonstrate this using physical mixtures of carbon-supported monometallic gold and palladium catalysts and a bimetallic catalyst comprising separated gold and palladium regions. Furthermore, we demonstrate electrochemically that this enhancement is attributable to the coupling of separate redox processes occurring at isolated gold and palladium sites. The discovery of this catalytic effect-a cooperative redox enhancement-offers an approach to the design of multicomponent heterogeneous catalysts.

Enhancing the understanding of the glycerol to lactic acid reaction mechanism over AuPt/TiO2 under alkaline conditions.

The oxidation of glycerol under alkaline conditions in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst can be tailored to the formation of lactic acid, an important commodity chemical. Despite recent advances in this area, the mechanism for its formation is still a subject of contention. In this study, we use a model 1 wt. % AuPt/TiO2 catalyst to probe this mechanism by conducting a series of isotopic labeling experiments with 1,3-13C glycerol. Optimization of the reaction conditions was first conducted to ensure high selectivity to lactic acid in the isotopic labeling experiments. Selectivity to lactic acid increased with temperature and concentration of NaOH, but increasing the O2 pressure appeared to influence only the rate of reaction. Using 1,3-13C glycerol, we demonstrate that conversion of pyruvaldehyde to lactic acid proceeds via a base-promoted 1,2-hydride shift. There was no evidence to suggest that this occurs via a 2,1-methide shift under the conditions used in this study.

The polar mechanism for the nitration of benzene with nitronium ion: ab initio structures of intermediates and transition states.

The nitration of benzene by nitronium ion in the gas phase has been re-examined. New features have been revealed; in particular, three transition states have been detected along the reaction coordinate. These have been shown by IRC analysis to connect an initially formed π complex (pi1) to a σ complex (sig1) (via ts1), sig1 to sig2 (via ts2), and finally sig2 to the product (via ts3). Sig2 also connects to another isomeric σ complex sig3 (via sig23ts), which connects to sig4 (via sig34ts).

In situ spectroscopic investigation of oxidative dehydrogenation and disproportionation of benzyl alcohol.

In the solvent free oxidation of benzyl alcohol, using supported gold-palladium nanoalloys, toluene is often one of major by-products and it is formed by the disproportionation of benzyl alcohol. Gold-palladium catalysts on acidic supports promote both the disproportionation of benzyl alcohol and oxidative dehydrogenation to form benzaldehyde. Basic supports completely switch off disproportionation and the gold-palladium nanoparticles catalyse the oxidative dehydrogenation reaction exclusively. In an attempt to provide further details on the course of these reactions, we have utilized in situ ATR-IR, in situ DRIFT and inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopic methods, and in this article we present the results of these in situ spectroscopic studies.

Insights into the Effect of Metal Ratio on Cooperative Redox Enhancement Effects over Au- and Pd-Mediated Alcohol Oxidation.

The aerobic oxidation of alcohols and aldehydes over supported heterogeneous catalysts can be considered as comprising two complementary and linked processes: dehydrogenation and oxygen reduction. Significant rate enhancements can be observed when these processes are catalyzed by independent active sites, coupled by electron transport between the two catalysts. This effect, termed cooperative redox enhancement (CORE), could significantly influence how researchers approach catalyst design, but a greater understanding of the factors which influence it is required. Herein, we demonstrate that the Au/Pd ratio used in physical mixtures of monometallic catalysts and phase-separated Au and Pd bimetallic catalysts dramatically influences the degree to which CORE effects can promote alcohol oxidation. Perhaps more interestingly, the roles of Au and Pd in this coupled system are determined to be interchangeable. Preliminarily, we hypothesize that this is attributed to the relative rates of the coupled reactions and demonstrate how physical properties can influence this. This deeper understanding of the factors which influence CORE is an important development in bimetallic catalysis.

Electrochemical Polarization of Disparate Catalytic Sites Drives Thermochemical Rate Enhancement.

Supported bimetallic catalysts commonly exhibit higher rates of reaction compared to their monometallic counterparts, but the origin of these enhancements is often poorly defined. The recent discovery that cooperative redox enhancement effects in Au-Pd systems promote bimetallic catalysis in thermochemical oxidation is an important development in this field. This effect aligns two important research fields, thermo- and electrocatalysis, but questions relating to the generality and origin of the effect remain. Here, we demonstrate that these effects can be observed in reactions over a range of bimetal combinations and reveal the origin using a combination of electrochemical and material characterization. We disclose that the observed activity enhancement in thermochemical systems is a result of the electrochemical polarization of two disparate catalytic sites. This forms an alternative operating potential for a given bimetallic system that increases the driving force of each of the composite half reactions in oxidative dehydrogenation. We therefore uncover the physicochemical descriptors that dictate whether these enhancement effects will be exhibited by a particular combination of supported metal catalysts and determine the magnitude of the effect.

Controlling the duality of the mechanism in liquid-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol catalysed by supported Au-Pd nanoparticles.

In the solvent-free oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde using supported gold-palladium nanoparticles as catalysts, two pathways have been identified as the sources of the principal product, benzaldehyde. One is the direct catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde by O(2), whereas the second is the disproportionation of two molecules of benzyl alcohol to give equal amounts of benzaldehyde and toluene. Herein we report that by changing the metal oxide used to support the metal-nanoparticles catalyst from titania or niobium oxide to magnesium oxide or zinc oxide, it is possible to switch off the disproportionation reaction and thereby completely stop the toluene formation. It has been observed that the presence of O(2) increases the turnover number of this disproportionation reaction as compared to reactions in a helium atmosphere, implying that there are two catalytic pathways leading to toluene.

On the enantioselectivity of aziridination of styrene catalysed by copper triflate and copper-exchanged zeolite Y: consequences of the phase behaviour of enantiomeric mixtures of N-arene-sulfonyl-2-phenylaziridines.

By synthesising S-2-phenyl-N-(4-nitrophenyl)aziridine from S-phenylglycinol, it has been demonstrated that the aziridination of styrene by [N-(4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl)imino]phenyliodinane (nosyliminophenyliodinane, PhINNs) in the presence of S,S-2,2'-isopropylidene-bis(4-phenyl-2-oxazoline), catalysed by copper(II) triflate in CH(3)CN solution or heterogeneously by CuHY, has predominantly an R-configuration. The enantioselectivity of the aziridination of styrene by [N-arenesulfonylimino]-phenyliodinanes catalysed by copper-exchanged zeolite Y (CuHY), in conjunction with a chiral bis-oxazoline ligand, has been re-examined. In the case of PhINNs, it is shown that the product mixture of enantiomeric aziridines, on treatment with hexane, gives rise to a solid phase of low enantiomeric excess (ee) and a solution phase of high ee. Separation of the solid phase and recrystallisation afforded a true racemate (racemic compound), which has been confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The aziridine obtained from the solution phase could be recrystallised to produce the pure enantiomer originally in excess. A consequence of the new findings is that previous reports on the enantioselectivity of copper-catalysed aziridination, both in heterogeneous and homogeneous conditions, should be regarded with caution if the analytical procedure involved HPLC with injection of the enantiomeric mixture in a hexane-rich solvent. Such a method has been used in previous work from this laboratory, but has also been used elsewhere, following the procedure developed by Evans and co-workers when the (homogeneous) copper-catalysed aziridination by PhINTs was first discovered. Evidently, the change of substituent in the benzenesulfonyl group reduces the solubility in hexane, affording a solution phase of enhanced ee.

The experimental determination of the conductance of single molecules.

The measurement of the electrical properties of molecules, down to the single molecule level, has become an experimental reality in recent years. A number of methods are now available for experimentally achieving this feat. The common aim of these methods is to entrap a single or small numbers of molecules between a pair of metallic contacts. This topical review focuses on describing and comparing experimental methods for entrapping and measuring the electrical properties of single molecules in metallic contact gaps. After describing the methods, reasons are tendered for apparent discrepancies in the literature between measured single molecule conductance values, with a focus on the most widely studied alkanedithiol system. Illustrative examples are then presented of the determination of the electrical properties of a range of single molecular systems, in order to highlight the progress which has been made in recent years.

The photocatalytic destruction of cinnamic acid and cinnamyl alcohol: Mechanism and the effect of aqueous ions.

Cinnamic acid was chosen as an exemplar molecule to study the effect of potential contaminants on the kinetics and mechanism of the photocatalytic destruction of hydrocarbons in aqueous solutions. We identify the principal intermediates in the photocatalytic reaction of the acid and corresponding alcohol, and propose a mechanism that explains the presence of these species. The impact of two likely contaminants of aqueous systems, sulfate and chloride ions were also studied. Whereas sulfate ions inhibit the degradation reaction at all concentrations, chloride ions, up to a concentration of 0.5 M, accelerate the removal of cinnamic acid from solution by a factor of 1.6. However, although cinnamic acid is removed, the pathway to complete oxidation is blocked by the chloride, with the acid being converted (in the presence of oxygen) into new products including acetophenone, 2-chloroacetophenone, 1-(2-chlorophenyl)ethenone and 1,2-dibenzoylethane. We speculate that the formation of these products involves chlorine radicals formed from the reaction of chloride ions with the photoinduced holes at the catalyst surface. Interestingly, we have shown that the 1-(2-chlorophenyl)ethenone and 1,2-dibenzoylethane products form from 2-chloroacetophenone when irradiated with 365 nm light in the absence of the catalyst. The formation of potentially dangerous side products in this reaction suggest that the practical implementation of the photocatalytic purification of contaminated water needs to considered very carefully if chlorides are likely to be present.

Synthetic Control of Quantum Interference by Regulating Charge on a Single Atom in Heteroaromatic Molecular Junctions.

A key area of activity in contemporary molecular electronics is the chemical control of conductance of molecular junctions and devices. Here we study and modify a range of pyrrolodipyridines (carbazole-like) molecular wires. We are able to change the electrical conductance and quantum interference patterns by chemically regulating the bridging nitrogen atom in the tricyclic ring system. A series of eight different N-substituted pyrrolodipyridines has been synthesized and subjected to single-molecule electrical characterization using an STM break junction. Correlations of these experimental data with theoretical calculations underline the importance of the pyrrolic nitrogen in facilitating conductance across the molecular bridge and controlling quantum interference. The large chemical modulation for the meta-connected series is not apparent for the para-series, showing the competition between (i) meta-connectivity quantum interference phenomena and (ii) the ability of the pyrrolic nitrogen to facilitate conductance, that can be modulated by chemical substitution.

Single molecule conductance of porphyrin wires with ultralow attenuation.

A series of thioacetate-terminated butadiyne-linked porphyrin oligomers have been synthesized with one to three porphyrin repeat units. Single molecule electrical scanning tunneling microscopy measurements using the I(s) and I(t) methods were used to determine the molecule conductances for this series of oligomers. The molecular conductance shows an exponential falloff with sulfur-sulfur distance with a remarkably low attenuation factor of beta = (0.04 +/- 0.006) A-1.

Observation of the enhancement in enantioselectivity with conversion for the aziridination of styrene using copper bis(oxazoline) complexes.

During the aziridination of styrene using copper bis(oxazoline) complexes the ee increases with conversion due to further reactions of the product.

The benzaldehyde oxidation paradox explained by the interception of peroxy radical by benzyl alcohol.

Benzaldehyde readily undergoes autoxidation to form benzoic acid on exposure to air at room temperature. Yet it can be formed in high yield from, for example, benzyl alcohol by oxidation using a variety of procedures and catalysts. Here we report the evidence to resolve this apparent paradox. It is confirmed that benzyl alcohol (and a number of other alcohols), even at low concentrations in benzaldehyde, inhibits the autoxidation. Furthermore we report on the structural features required for inhibition. Electron paramagnetic resonance spin trapping experiments demonstrate that benzyl alcohol intercepts, by hydrogen atom transfer, the benzoylperoxy radicals that play a key role in benzaldehyde autoxidation. A similar inhibition effect has also been observed for the aliphatic octanal/1-octanol system.

Comparison of the conductance of three types of porphyrin-based molecular wires: ß,meso,ß-fused tapes, meso-Butadiyne-linked and twisted meso-meso linked oligomers.

The length dependence of charge transport is evaluated in three families of porphyrin-based wires. Planar edge-fused tapes and alkyne-linked oligomers mediate efficient charge transport with exceptionally shallow distance dependence, whereas the conductances of the twisted singly linked chains decrease steeply with increasing oligomer length. The planar tapes are more conjugated than the alkyne-linked oligomers, but these two types of wires have similar conductance attenuation factors.

Non-lattice surface oxygen species implicated in the catalytic partial oxidation of decane to oxygenated aromatics.

The one-step transformation of C(7)-C(12) linear alkanes into more valuable oxygenates provides heterogeneous catalysis with a major challenge. In evaluating the potential of a classic mixed-metal-oxide catalyst, we demonstrate new insights into the reactivity of adsorbed oxygen species. During the aerobic gas-phase conversion of n-decane over iron molybdate, the product distribution correlates with the condition of the catalyst. Selectivity to oxygenated aromatics peaks at 350 °C while the catalyst is in a fully oxidized state, whereas decene and aromatic hydrocarbons dominate at higher temperatures. The high-temperature performance is consistent with an underlying redox mechanism in which lattice oxide ions abstract hydrogen from decane. At lower temperatures, the formation of oxygenated aromatics competes with the formation of CO(2), implying that electrophilic adsorbed oxygen is involved in both reactions. We suggest, therefore, that so-called non-selective oxygen is capable of insertion into carbon-rich surface intermediates to generate aromatic partial oxidation products.

Long-range electron tunnelling in oligo-porphyrin molecular wires.

Short chains of porphyrin molecules can mediate electron transport over distances as long as 5-10 nm with low attenuation. This means that porphyrin-based molecular wires could be useful in nanoelectronic and photovoltaic devices, but the mechanisms responsible for charge transport in single oligo-porphyrin wires have not yet been established. Here, based on electrical measurements of single-molecule junctions, we show that the conductance of the oligo-porphyrin wires has a strong dependence on temperature, and a weak dependence on the length of the wire. Although it is widely accepted that such behaviour is a signature of a thermally assisted incoherent (hopping) mechanism, density functional theory calculations and an accompanying analytical model strongly suggest that the observed temperature and length dependence is consistent with phase-coherent tunnelling through the whole molecular junction.

Solvent-free oxidation of benzyl alcohol using Au-Pd catalysts prepared by sol immobilisation.

We report the preparation of Au-Pd nanocrystalline catalysts supported on TiO(2) and carbon prepared via a sol-immobilisation technique using three different preparation strategies; namely, simultaneous formation of the sols for both metals or initial formation of a seed sol of one of the metals followed by a separate step in which a coating sol of the second metal is added. The catalysts have been structurally characterised using a combination of transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The catalysts have been evaluated for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol under solvent-free conditions. The catalysts prepared using the sol immobilisation technique show higher activity when compared with catalysts prepared by impregnation, particularly as lower metal concentrations can be used. The Au-Pd catalysts were all more active than the corresponding monometallic supported Au or Pd catalysts. For 1 wt% Au-Pd/TiO(2) the order of metal addition in the preparation was not observed to be significant with respect to selectivity or activity. However, the 1 wt% Au-Pd/carbon catalysts are more active but less selective to benzaldehyde than the TiO(2)-supported catalysts when compared at iso-conversion. Furthermore, for the carbon-supported catalyst the order of metal addition has a very marked affect on activity. The carbon-supported catalysts are also more significantly affected by heat treatment, e.g. calcination at 400 degrees C leads to the activity being decreased by an order of magnitude, whereas the TiO(2)-supported catalysts show a 50% decrease in activity. Toluene is observed as a by-product of the reaction and conditions have been identified that minimise its formation. It is proposed that toluene and benzaldehyde are formed by competing parallel reactions of the initial benzyl intermediate via an adsorbed benzylidene species that can either be hydrogenated or oxidised. Hence, conditions that maximise the availability of oxygen on the catalyst surface favour the synthesis of benzaldehyde.