Direct thermolysis of CO2 into CO and O2.

Most of the solar-driven thermochemical CO2 dissociation reactions have been focused on two-step processes. In this study, a one step CO2 thermolysis process was considered. It was found that direct thermolysis of CO2 obviously occurred at temperatures as low as 1200 °C within a corundum tube. The reaction rate could be enhanced by several times in the presence of metal oxides, which may be attributed to the catalysis of oxygen vacancies in the metal oxides.

The synthesis of chiral isotetronic acids with amphiphilic imidazole/pyrrolidine catalysts assembled in oil-in-water emulsion droplets.

Drop it! A highly enantioselective catalytic cascade reaction of α-ketoacids and aldehydes is achieved using the title catalyst and water as the solvent. Fluorescence imaging shows that the catalyst is mainly distributed on the surface of emulsion droplets. Optically active isotetronic acids can be obtained with this method and the emulsion droplets are responsible for the high reactivity and enantioselectivity.

Oxidation of dibenzothiophene catalyzed by [C8H17N(CH3)3]3H3V10O28 using molecular oxygen as oxidant.

An isopolyoxovanadate catalyst [C(8)H(17)N(CH(3))(3)](3)H(3)V(10)O(28) shows high catalytic activity in oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) to its corresponding sulfone using molecular oxygen as oxidant under mild reaction conditions. This is potentially a promising approach to achieve ultradeep desulfurization of fuels (e.g. diesel) because the sulfones can be more conveniently removed from the fuels by either extraction or selective adsorption.

A direct imaging of amphiphilic catalysts assembled at the interface of emulsion droplets using fluorescence microscopy.

An amphiphilic fluorescent catalyst Q9[EuW10O36] (Q = [(C18H37)2N+ (CH3)2]), assembled in the interface of emulsion systems, was directly imaged by fluorescence microscopy; the catalyst shows high selectivity and activity in the oxidation of alcohols using H2O2 as oxidant and the catalyst can be easily separated and recycled by demulsifying.

Oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene with molecular oxygen using emulsion catalysis.

Dibenzothiophene (DBT) is oxidized to the corresponding sulfoxide and sulfone in an emulsion system (W/O) composed of polyoxometalate anion [C(18)H(37)N(CH(3))3](5)[PV(2)Mo(10)O(40)] as both the surfactant and catalyst, using molecular oxygen as the oxidant and aldehyde as the sacrificial agent under mild conditions.

The study of thiophene adsorption onto La(III)-exchanged zeolite NaY by FT-IR spectroscopy.

Zeolites NaY and LaNaY (ion-exchanged with aqueous lanthanum nitrate solution) were used as adsorbents for removing organic sulfur compounds from model gasoline solutions (without and with toluene) and fluid catalytic cracked gasoline in fixed-bed adsorption equipment at room temperature and atmosphere pressure. The adsorptive selectivity for organic sulfur compounds was significantly increased when Na(+) ions in zeolite NaY were exchanged with lanthanum ions. IR spectra of thiophene adsorption indicate that thiophene is adsorbed onto La(3+) ions via direct S-La(3+) interaction and Na(+) ions via pi-electronic interaction for La(3+)-exchanged zeolite NaY, but only via pi-electronic interaction with Na(+) ions for NaY. The amount of adsorbed thiophene on La(3+)-exchanged zeolite Y was slightly decreased by coadsorption of benzene, but greatly reduced on NaY. The adsorption of thiophene via interaction with La(3+) on La(3+)-exchanged zeolite Y is hardly replaced by benzene coadsorption. The direct S-La(3+) interaction might be the essential reason for the evidently improved adsorptive selectivity of LaNaY for removing organic sulfur compounds from solutions containing large amount of aromatics.

Ultra-deep desulfurization of diesel: oxidation with a recoverable catalyst assembled in emulsion.

A [(C(18)H(37))(2)N(+)(CH(3))(2)](3)[PW(12)O(40)] catalyst, assembled in an emulsion in diesel, can selectively oxidize the sulfur-containing molecules present in diesel into their corresponding sulfones by using H(2)O(2) as the oxidant under mild conditions. The sulfones can be readily separated from the diesel using an extractant, and the sulfur level of the desulfurized diesel can be lowered from about 500 ppm to 0.1 ppm without changing the properties of the diesel. The catalyst demonstrates high performance (>/=96 % efficiency of H(2)O(2), is easily recycled, and approximately 100 % selectivity to sulfones). Metastable emulsion droplets (water in oil) act like a homogeneous catalyst and are formed when the catalyst (as the surfactant) and H(2)O(2) (30 %) are mixed in the diesel. However, the catalyst can be separated from the diesel after demulsification.