UV/Vis Spectroscopy of Copper Formate Clusters: Insight into Metal-Ligand Photochemistry

Aprotic Lithium-Oxygen Batteries Based on Nonsolid Discharge Products

Aprotic lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries are considered to be a promising alternative option to lithium-ion batteries for high gravimetric energy storage devices. However, the sluggish electrochemical kinetics, the passivation, and the structural damage to the cathode caused by the solid discharge products have greatly hindered the practical application of Li-O2 batteries. Herein, the nonsolid-state discharge products of the off-stoichiometric Li1-xO2 in the electrolyte solutions are achieved by iridium (Ir) single-atom-based porous organic polymers (termed as Ir/AP-POP) as a homogeneous, soluble electrocatalyst for Li-O2 batteries. In particular, the numerous atomic active sites act as the main nucleation sites of O2-related discharge reactions, which are favorable to interacting with O2-/LiO2 intermediates in the electrolyte solutions, owing to the highly similar lattice-matching effect between the in situ-formed Ir3Li and LiO2, achieving a nonsolid LiO2 as the final discharge product in the electrolyte solutions for Li-O2 batteries. Consequently, the Li-O2 battery with a soluble Ir/AP-POP electrocatalyst exhibits an ultrahigh discharge capacity of 12.8 mAh, an ultralow overpotential of 0.03 V, and a long cyclic life of 700 h with the carbon cloth cathode. The manipulation of nonsolid discharge products in aprotic Li-O2 batteries breaks the traditional growth mode of Li2O2, bringing Li-O2 batteries closer to being a viable technology.

Spectroscopy of cluster aerosol models: IR and UV spectra of hydrated glyoxylate with and without sea salt

Glyoxylic acid is formed in the troposphere by oxidation of organic molecules. In sea salt aerosols, it is expected to be present as glyoxylate, integrated into the salt environment and strongly interacting with water molecules. In water, glyoxylate is in equilibrium with its gem-diol form. To understand the influence of water and salt on the photophysics and photochemistry of glyoxylate, we generate small model clusters containing glyoxylate by electrospray ionization and study them by Fourier-Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry. We used infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy and UV/vis photodissociation spectroscopy for structural characterization as well as quantum chemical calculations to model the spectra and dissociation patterns. Resonant absorption of infrared radiation leads to water evaporation, which indicates that water and glyoxylate are separate molecular entities in a significant fraction of the clusters, in line with the observed absorption of UV light in the actinic region. Hydration of glyoxylate leads to a change of the dihedral angle in the CHOCOO-·H2O complex, causing a slight redshift of the S1 ← S0 transition. However, the barriers for internal rotation are below 5 kJ mol-1, which explains the broad S1 ← S0 absorption extending from about 320 to 380 nm. Most importantly, hydration hinders dissociation in the S1 state, thus enhancing the quantum yield of fluorescence combined with water evaporation. No C-C bond photolysis is observed, but due to the limited signal-to-noise ratio, it cannot be ruled out. The quantum yield, however, will be relatively low. Fluorescence dominates the photophysics of glyoxylate embedded in the dry salt cluster, but the quantum yield shifts towards internal conversion upon addition of one or two water molecules.

Cu Modified TiO2 Catalyst for Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Methane

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 (ECO2R) is gaining attention as a promising approach to store excess or intermittent electricity generated from renewable energies in the form of valuable chemicals such as CO, HCOOH, CH4, and so on. Selective ECO2R to CH4 is a challenging target because the rate-determining step of CH4 formation, namely CO* protonation, competes with hydrogen evolution reaction and the C–C coupling toward the production of longer-chain chemicals. Herein, a Cu-TiO2 composite catalyst consisting of CuOx clusters or Cu nanoparticles (CuNPs), which are isolated on the TiO2 grain surface, was synthesized using a one-pot solvothermal method and subsequent thermal treatment. The Cu-TiO2 catalyst exhibited high selectivity for CH4, and the ratio of FE for CH4 to total FE for all products in ECO2R reached 70%.

Photochemistry and UV/vis spectroscopy of hydrated vanadium cations, V+(H2O)n, n = 1-41, a model system for photochemical hydrogen evolution

Photochemical hydrogen evolution provides fascinating perspectives for light harvesting. Hydrated metal ions in the gas phase are ideal model systems to study elementary steps of this reaction on a molecular level. Here we investigate mass-selected hydrated monovalent vanadium ions, with a hydration shell ranging from 1 to 41 water molecules, by photodissociation spectroscopy. The most intense absorption bands correspond to 3d-4p transitions, which shift to the red from n = 1 to n = 4, corresponding to the evolution of a square-planar complex. Additional water molecules no longer interact directly with the metal center, and no strong systematic shift is observed in larger clusters. Evolution of atomic and molecular hydrogen competes with loss of water molecules for all V+(H2O)n, n ≤ 12. For n ≥ 15, no absorptions are observed, which indicates that the cluster ensemble is fully converted to HVOH+(H2O)n-1. For the smallest clusters, the electronic transitions are modeled using multireference methods with spin-orbit coupling. A large number of quintet and triplet states is accessible, which explains the broad features observed in the experiment. Water loss most likely occurs after a series of intersystem crossings and internal conversions to the electronic ground state or a low-lying quintet state, while hydrogen evolution is favored in low lying triplet states.

Room-Temperature Amination of Chloroheteroarenes in Water by a Recyclable Copper(II)-Phosphaadamantanium Sulfonate System

Buchwald-Hartwig amination of chloroheteroarenes has been a challenging synthetic process, with very few protocols promoting this important transformation at ambient temperature. The current report discusses about an efficient copper-based catalytic system (Cu/PTABS) for the amination of chloroheteroarenes at ambient temperature in water as the sole reaction solvent, a combination that is first to be reported. A wide variety of chloroheteroarenes could be coupled efficiently with primary and secondary amines as well as selected amino acid esters under mild reaction conditions. Catalytic efficiency of the developed protocol also promotes late-stage functionalization of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) such as antibiotics (floxacins) and anticancer drugs. The catalytic system also performs efficiently at a very low concentration of 0.0001 mol % (TON = 980,000) and can be recycled 12 times without any appreciable loss in activity. Theoretical calculations reveal that the π-acceptor ability of the ligand PTABS is the main reason for the appreciably high reactivity of the catalytic system. Preliminary characterization of the catalytic species in the reaction was carried out using UV-VIS and ESR spectroscopy, providing evidence for the Cu(II) oxidation state.

Spectroscopy and photochemistry of copper nitrate clusters

The investigation of copper nitrate cluster anions Cu(ii)n(NO3)2n+1-, n ≤ 4, in the gas phase using ultraviolet/visible/near-infrared (UV/vis/NIR) spectroscopy provides detailed insight into the electronic structure of the copper salt and its intriguing photochemistry. In the experimentally studied region up to 5.5 eV, the spectra of copper(ii) nitrate exhibit a 3d-3d band in the vis/NIR and well-separated bands in the UV. The latter bands originate from Ligand-to-Metal Charge Transfer (LMCT) as well as n-π* transitions in the nitrate ligands. The clusters predominantly decompose by loss of neutral copper nitrate in the electronic ground state after internal conversion or via the photochemical loss of a neutral NO3 ligand after a LMCT. These two decomposition channels are in direct competition on the ground state potential energy surface for the smallest copper nitrate cluster, Cu(ii)(NO3)3-. Here, copper nitrate evaporation is thermochemically less favorable. Population of π* orbitals in the nitrate ligands may lead to N-O bond photolysis. This is observed in the UV region with a small quantum efficiency, with photochemical loss of either nitrogen dioxide or an oxygen atom.

Photochemical activation of carbon dioxide in Mg+(CO2)(H2O)0,1

We combine multi-reference ab initio calculations with UV-VIS action spectroscopy to study photochemical activation of CO2 on a singly charged magnesium ion, [MgCO2(H2O)0,1]+, as a model system for the metal/ligand interactions relevant in CO2 photochemistry. For the non-hydrated species, two separated Mg+ 3s-3p bands are observed within 5.0 eV. The low-energy band splits upon hydration with one water molecule. [Mg(CO2)]+ decomposes highly state-selectively, predominantly via multiphoton processes. Within the low-energy band, CO2 is exclusively lost within the excited state manifold. For the high-energy band, an additional pathway becomes accessible: the CO2 ligand is activated via a charge transfer, with photochemistry taking place on the CO2 - moiety eventually leading to a loss of CO after absorption of a second photon. Upon hydration, already excitation into the first and second excited state leads to CO2 activation in the excited state minimum; however, CO2 predominantly evaporates upon fluorescence or absorption of another photon.

UV/Vis Spectroscopy of Copper Formate Clusters: Insight into Metal-Ligand Photochemistry

The electronic structure and photochemistry of copper formate clusters, Cu^I₂(HCO₂)₃⁻ and Cu^II_n(HCO₂)_2n+1⁻, n≤8, are investigated in the gas phase by using UV/Vis spectroscopy in combination with quantum chemical calculations. A clear difference in the spectra of clusters with Cu^I and Cu^II copper ions is observed. For the Cu^I species, transitions between copper d and s/p orbitals are recorded. For stoichiometric Cu^II formate clusters, the spectra are dominated by copper d–d transitions and charge‐transfer excitations from formate to the vacant copper d orbital. Calculations reveal the existence of several energetically low‐lying isomers, and the energetic position of the electronic transitions depends strongly on the specific isomer. The oxidation state of the copper centers governs the photochemistry. In Cu^II(HCO₂)₃⁻, fast internal conversion into the electronic ground state is observed, leading to statistical dissociation; for charge‐transfer excitations, specific excited‐state reaction channels are observed in addition, such as formyloxyl radical loss. In Cu^I₂(HCO₂)₃⁻, the system relaxes to a local minimum on an excited‐state potential‐energy surface and might undergo fluorescence or reach a conical intersection to the ground state; in both cases, this provides substantial energy for statistical decomposition. Alternatively, a Cu^II(HCO₂)₃Cu⁰⁻ biradical structure is formed in the excited state, which gives rise to the photochemical loss of a neutral copper atom.