Molecular mechanism of direct alkene oxidation with nitrous oxide: DFT analysis

Progress and challenges in nitrous oxide decomposition and valorization

Nitrous oxide (N2O) decomposition is increasingly acknowledged as a viable strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and addressing ozone depletion, aligning significantly with the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs) and carbon neutrality objectives. To enhance efficiency in treatment and explore potential valorization, recent developments have introduced novel N2O reduction catalysts and pathways. Despite these advancements, a comprehensive and comparative review is absent. In this review, we undertake a thorough evaluation of N2O treatment technologies from a holistic perspective. First, we summarize and update the recent progress in thermal decomposition, direct catalytic decomposition (deN2O), and selective catalytic reduction of N2O. The scope extends to the catalytic activity of emerging catalysts, including nanostructured materials and single-atom catalysts. Furthermore, we present a detailed account of the mechanisms and applications of room-temperature techniques characterized by low energy consumption and sustainable merits, including photocatalytic and electrocatalytic N2O reduction. This article also underscores the extensive and effective utilization of N2O resources in chemical synthesis scenarios, providing potential avenues for future resource reuse. This review provides an accessible theoretical foundation and a panoramic vision for practical N2O emission controls.

Theoretical study on the gas-phase reaction mechanism of ammonia with nitrous oxide

Applications of nitrous oxide (N₂O) as an oxidant in green propellants and propulsion systems have attracted a lot of attention. In this study, the reaction pathways for the oxidation of ammonia (NH₃) with N₂O were studied using the B3LYP/6-31++G** method of density functional theory (DFT). The results reveal that the reaction between N₂O and NH₃ proceeds through a chain reaction mechanism. N₂O reacts with NH₃ to form N₂ and NH₃O first and then NH₃O decomposes into NH₃ and O. This process corresponds to the apparent reaction N₂O+M=N₂+O+M (M=NH₃), but the energy barrier of the process (183.49 kJ/mol) is much lower than the direct decomposition reaction of N₂O=N₂+O (279.05 kJ/mol). The O radical produced in this process reacts subsequently with NH₃ and N₂O to produce more radicals such as NH₂, OH, and NO, which will take part in further reactions like NH₃+OH=NH₂+H₂O and NH₂+NO=N₂+H₂O until the reactants are consumed.

Solubility of CO2 and N2O in an Imidazolium-Based Lipidic Ionic Liquid

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids have been extensively studied for their ability to dissolve a wide variety of gases and for their potential to be used as separation agents in industrial processes. For many short chain 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bistriflimde salts, CO₂ and N₂O solublities are very similar. In this work, the solubility of CO₂ and N₂O has been measured in the lipidic ionic liquid 1-methyl-3-(Z-octadec-9-enyl)imidazolium bistriflimide ([oleyl-mim][NTf₂]) at 298 K, 310 and 323 K up to ∼2 MPa. N₂O was found to have higher solubility than CO₂ under the same conditions, similar to the behavior observed when olive oil, a natural lipid, was the liquid solvent. However, the solubility of each gas on a mole fraction basis is lower in the ionic liquid than in olive oil. Comparison of the gas solubilities on a mass fraction basis demonstrates that CO₂ solubility is nearly identical in both liquids; N₂O solubility is higher than CO₂ for both liquids, but more so in the olive oil. The difference is attributed to the high mass fraction of the olive oil that is lipid-like in character. The differential solubility of N₂O/CO₂ in this ionic liquid, in contrast to that of shorter chain 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bistriflimide salts, gives physical insight into the solvent properties of this class of ionic liquids and provides further support for their lipid-like character.

Lowering N2O emissions from soils using eucalypt biochar: the importance of redox reactions

Agricultural soils are the primary anthropogenic source of atmospheric nitrous oxide (N₂O), contributing to global warming and depletion of stratospheric ozone. Biochar addition has shown potential to lower soil N₂O emission, with the mechanisms remaining unclear. We incubated eucalypt biochar (550 °C) – 0, 1 and 5% (w/w) in Ferralsol at 3 water regimes (12, 39 and 54% WFPS) – in a soil column, following gamma irradiation. After N₂O was injected at the base of the soil column, in the 0% biochar control 100% of expected injected N₂O was released into headspace, declining to 67% in the 5% amendment. In a 100% biochar column at 6% WFPS, only 16% of the expected N₂O was observed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy identified changes in surface functional groups suggesting interactions between N₂O and the biochar surfaces. We have shown increases in -O-C = N /pyridine pyrrole/NH₃, suggesting reactions between N₂O and the carbon (C) matrix upon exposure to N₂O. With increasing rates of biochar application, higher pH adjusted redox potentials were observed at the lower water contents. Evidence suggests that biochar has taken part in redox reactions reducing N₂O to dinitrogen (N₂), in addition to adsorption of N₂O.

Sorption of pure N2O to biochars and other organic and inorganic materials under anhydrous conditions

Suppression of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soil is commonly observed after amendment with biochar. The mechanisms accounting for this suppression are not yet understood. One possible contributing mechanism is N2O sorption to biochar. The sorption of N2O and carbon dioxide (CO2) to four biochars was measured in an anhydrous system with pure N2O. The biochar data were compared to those for two activated carbons and other components potentially present in soils-uncharred pine wood and peat-and five inorganic metal oxides with variable surface areas. Langmuir maximum sorption capacities (Qmax) for N2O on the pine wood biochars (generated between 250 and 500 °C) and activated carbons were 17-73 cm(3) g(-1) at 20 °C (median 51 cm(3) g(-1)), with Langmuir affinities (b) of 2-5 atm(-1) (median 3.4 atm(-1)). Both Qmax and b of the charred materials were substantially higher than those for peat, uncharred wood, and metal oxides [Qmax 1-34 cm(3) g(-1) (median 7 cm(3) g(-1)); b 0.4-1.7 atm(-1) (median 0.7 atm(-1))]. This indicates that biochar can bind N2O more strongly than both mineral and organic soil materials. Qmax and b for CO2 were comparable to those for N2O. Modeled sorption coefficients obtained with an independent polyparameter-linear free-energy relationship matched measured data within a factor 2 for mineral surfaces but underestimated by a factor of 5-24 for biochar and carbonaceous surfaces. Isosteric enthalpies of sorption of N2O were mostly between -20 and -30 kJ mol(-1), slightly more exothermic than enthalpies of condensation (-16.1 kJ mol(-1)). Qmax of N2O on biochar (50000-130000 μg g(-1) biochar at 20 °C) exceeded the N2O emission suppressions observed in the literature (range 0.5-960 μg g(-1) biochar; median 16 μg g(-1)) by several orders of magnitude. Thus, the hypothesis could not be falsified that sorption of N2O to biochar is a mechanism of N2O emission suppression.

Impacts of woodchip biochar additions on greenhouse gas production and sorption/degradation of two herbicides in a Minnesota soil

A potential abatement to increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) in the atmosphere is the use of pyrolysis to convert vegetative biomass into a more stable form of carbon (biochar) that could then be applied to the soil. However, the impacts of pyrolysis biochar on the soil system need to be assessed before initiating large scale biochar applications to agricultural fields. We compared CO(2) respiration, nitrous oxide (N(2)O) production, methane (CH(4)) oxidation and herbicide retention and transformation through laboratory incubations at field capacity in a Minnesota soil (Waukegan silt loam) with and without added biochar. CO(2) originating from the biochar needs to be subtracted from the soil-biochar combination in order to elucidate the impact of biochar on soil respiration. After this correction, biochar amendments reduced CO(2) production for all amendment levels tested (2, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 60% w/w; corresponding to 24-720 tha(-1) field application rates). In addition, biochar additions suppressed N(2)O production at all levels. However, these reductions were only significant at biochar amendment levels >20% w/w. Biochar additions also significantly suppressed ambient CH(4) oxidation at all levels compared to unamended soil. The addition of biochar (5% w/w) to soil increased the sorption of atrazine and acetochlor compared to non-amended soils, resulting in decreased dissipation rates of these herbicides. The recalcitrance of the biochar suggests that it could be a viable carbon sequestration strategy, and might provide substantial net greenhouse gas benefits if the reductions in N(2)O production are lasting.

Diazo chemistry controlling the selectivity of olefin ketonisation by nitrous oxide

The thermal reaction of olefins with nitrous oxide was recently put forward as a promising synthetic ketone source. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of N(2)O to the C=C double bond, forming a 4,5-dihydro-[1,2,3]oxadiazole intermediate, was predicted to be the first elementary reaction step. This oxadiazole can subsequently decompose to the desired carbonyl product and N(2)via a hydrogen shift. In this contribution, Potential Energy Surfaces are constructed at the reliable G2M level of theory and used to evaluate thermal rate constants by Transition State Theory. Compelling theoretical and experimental evidence is presented that an oxadiazole intermediate not only can undergo a hydrogen shift, but eventually also a methyl- or even an alkyl-shift. Special emphasis is also given on a hitherto neglected decomposition of the oxadiazole via a concerted C-C and N-O cleavage. For some substrates, such as internal olefins, this diazo route is negligibly slow, compared to the ketone path, leaving no marks on the selectivity. For cyclopentene the diazo cleavage was however found to be nearly as fast as the desired ketone route. However, the diazo compound, viz. 5-diazopentanal, reconstitutes the oxadiazole much faster upon ring-closure than it is converted to side-products. Therefore, a pre-equilibrium between the diazoalkanal and the oxadiazole is established, explaining the high ketone yield. On the other hand, for primary alkenes, such a concerted C-C and N-O cleavage to diazomethane is identified as an important side reaction, producing aldehydes with the loss of one C-atom. For these substrates, the bimolecular back-reaction of the C(n-1) aldehyde and diazomethane is too slow to sustain an equilibrium with the oxadiazole; diazomethane rather reacts with the substrate to form cyclopropane derivatives. The overall selectivity is thus determined by a combination of H-, methyl- or alkyl-shift, and the eventual impact of a diazo cleavage in the oxadiazole intermediate.