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Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Synthesis of Single Atom Based Heterogeneous Platinum Catalysts: High Selectivity and Activity for Hydrosilylation Reactions
    (Washington, DC : ACS Publ., 2017) Cui, Xinjiang; Junge, Kathrin; Dai, Xingchao; Kreyenschulte, Carsten; Pohl, Marga-Martina; Wohlrab, Sebastian; Shi, Feng; Brückner, Angelika; Beller, Matthias
    Catalytic hydrosilylation represents a straightforward and atom-efficient methodology for the creation of C-Si bonds. In general, the application of homogeneous platinum complexes prevails in industry and academia. Herein, we describe the first heterogeneous single atom catalysts (SACs), which are conveniently prepared by decorating alumina nanorods with platinum atoms. The resulting stable material efficiently catalyzes hydrosilylation of industrially relevant olefins with high TON (≈105). A variety of substrates is selectively hydrosilylated including compounds with sensitive reducible and other functional groups (N, B, F, Cl). The single atom based catalyst shows significantly higher activity compared to related Pt nanoparticles.
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    Cobalt-based nanoparticles prepared from MOF-carbon templates as efficient hydrogenation catalysts
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2018) Murugesan, Kathiravan; Senthamarai, Thirusangumurugan; Sohail, Manzar; Alshammari, Ahmad S.; Pohl, Marga-Martina; Beller, Matthias; Jagadeesh, Rajenahally V.
    The development of efficient and selective nanostructured catalysts for industrially relevant hydrogenation reactions continues to be an actual goal of chemical research. In particular, the hydrogenation of nitriles and nitroarenes is of importance for the production of primary amines, which constitute essential feedstocks and key intermediates for advanced chemicals, life science molecules and materials. Herein, we report the preparation of graphene shell encapsulated Co3O4- and Co-nanoparticles supported on carbon by the template synthesis of cobalt-terephthalic acid MOF on carbon and subsequent pyrolysis. The resulting nanoparticles create stable and reusable catalysts for selective hydrogenation of functionalized and structurally diverse aromatic, heterocyclic and aliphatic nitriles, and as well as nitro compounds to primary amines (>65 examples). The synthetic and practical utility of this novel non-noble metal-based hydrogenation protocol is demonstrated by upscaling several reactions to multigram-scale and recycling of the catalyst.
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    Control of coordinatively unsaturated Zr sites in ZrO2 for efficient C–H bond activation
    ([London] : Nature Publishing Group UK, 2018) Zhang, Yaoyuan; Zhao, Yun; Otroshchenko, Tatiana; Lund, Henrik; Pohl, Marga-Martina; Rodemerck, Uwe; Linke, David; Jiao, Haijun; Jiang, Guiyuan; Kondratenko, Evgenii V.
    Due to the complexity of heterogeneous catalysts, identification of active sites and the ways for their experimental design are not inherently straightforward but important for tailored catalyst preparation. The present study reveals the active sites for efficient C–H bond activation in C1–C4 alkanes over ZrO2 free of any metals or metal oxides usually catalysing this reaction. Quantum chemical calculations suggest that two Zr cations located at an oxygen vacancy are responsible for the homolytic C–H bond dissociation. This pathway differs from that reported for other metal oxides used for alkane activation, where metal cation and neighbouring lattice oxygen form the active site. The concentration of anion vacancies in ZrO2 can be controlled through adjusting the crystallite size. Accordingly designed ZrO2 shows industrially relevant activity and durability in non-oxidative propane dehydrogenation and performs superior to state-of-the-art catalysts possessing Pt, CrOx, GaOx or VOx species.
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    Intermetallic nickel silicide nanocatalyst—A non-noble metal–based general hydrogenation catalyst
    (Washington, DC [u.a.] : Assoc., 2018) Ryabchuk, Pavel; Agostini, Giovanni; Pohl, Marga-Martina; Lund, Henrik; Agapova, Anastasiya; Junge, Henrik; Junge, Kathrin; Beller, Matthias
    Hydrogenation reactions are essential processes in the chemical industry, giving access to a variety of valuable compounds including fine chemicals, agrochemicals, and pharmachemicals. On an industrial scale, hydrogenations are typically performed with precious metal catalysts or with base metal catalysts, such as Raney nickel, which requires special handling due to its pyrophoric nature. We report a stable and highly active intermetallic nickel silicide catalyst that can be used for hydrogenations of a wide range of unsaturated compounds. The catalyst is prepared via a straightforward procedure using SiO2 as the silicon atom source. The process involves thermal reduction of Si–O bonds in the presence of Ni nanoparticles at temperatures below 1000°C. The presence of silicon as a secondary component in the nickel metal lattice plays the key role in its properties and is of crucial importance for improved catalytic activity. This novel catalyst allows for efficient reduction of nitroarenes, carbonyls, nitriles, N-containing heterocycles, and unsaturated carbon–carbon bonds. Moreover, the reported catalyst can be used for oxidation reactions in the presence of molecular oxygen and is capable of promoting acceptorless dehydrogenation of unsaturated N-containing heterocycles, opening avenues for H2 storage in organic compounds. The generality of the nickel silicide catalyst is demonstrated in the hydrogenation of over a hundred of structurally diverse unsaturated compounds. The wide application scope and high catalytic activity of this novel catalyst make it a nice alternative to known general hydrogenation catalysts, such as Raney nickel and noble metal–based catalysts.
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    Low-Temperature Steam Reforming of Natural Gas after LPG-Enrichment with MFI Membranes
    (Basel : MDPI, 2018-12-12) Seeburg, Dominik; Liu, Dongjing; Dragomirova, Radostina; Atia, Hanan; Pohl, Marga-Martina; Amani, Hadis; Georgi, Gabriele; Kreft, Stefanie; Wohlrab, Sebastian
    Low-temperature hydrogen production from natural gas via steam reforming requires novel processing concepts as well as stable catalysts. A process using zeolite membranes of the type MFI (Mobile FIve) was used to enrich natural gas with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) alkanes (in particular, propane and n-butane), in order to improve the hydrogen production from this mixture at a reduced temperature. For this purpose, a catalyst precursor based on Rh single-sites (1 mol% Rh) on alumina was transformed in situ to a Rh1/Al2O3 catalyst possessing better performance capabilities compared with commercial catalysts. A wet raw natural gas (57.6 vol% CH4) was fully reformed at 650 °C, with 1 bar absolute pressure over the Rh1/Al2O3 at a steam to carbon ratio S/C = 4, yielding 74.7% H2. However, at 350 °C only 21 vol% H2 was obtained under these conditions. The second mixture, enriched with LPG, was obtained from the raw gas after the membrane process and contained only 25.2 vol% CH4. From this second mixture, 47 vol% H2 was generated at 350 °C after steam reforming over the Rh1/Al2O3 catalyst at S/C = 4. At S/C = 1 conversion was suppressed for both gas mixtures. Single alkane reforming of C2–C4 showed different sensitivity for side reactions, e.g., methanation between 350 and 650 °C. These results contribute to ongoing research in the field of low-temperature hydrogen release from natural gas alkanes for fuel cell applications as well as for pre-reforming processes.