Nano-gold catalysis in fine chemical synthesis

Quantitative analysis of air-oxidation reactions of thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters

The interaction of dioxygen (O2) with inorganic nanomaterials is one of the most essential steps to understanding the reaction mechanism of O2-related reactions. However, quantitative analyses for O2-binding processes and subsequent oxidation reactions on the surface are still elusive, whereas the reaction of O2 with molecules such as transition metal complexes has been widely explored. Herein, we have quantitatively evaluated reaction processes of air-oxidation reactions of atomically precise thiolate-protected Au25 nanoclusters ([Au25(SR)18]-) as a model of O2 activation by inorganic nanomaterials. Kinetic analyses on the air-oxidation reaction of [Au25(SR)18]- revealed a controlling factor for O2-activation processes, which could be finely tunable by the protecting thiolate ligands.

Performance Evaluation of Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation with tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide to Benzaldehyde Using the Response Surface Methodology, Artificial Neural Network, and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System Model

The adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), central composite experimental design (CCD)-response surface methodology (RSM), and artificial neural network (ANN) are used to model the oxidation of benzyl alcohol using the tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) oxidant to selectively yield benzaldehyde over a mesoporous ceria-zirconia catalyst. Characterization reveals that the produced catalyst has hysteresis loops, a sponge-like structure, and structurally induced reactivity. Three independent variables were taken into consideration while analyzing the ANN, RSM, and ANFIS models: the amount of catalyst (A), reaction temperature (B), and reaction time (C). With the application of optimum conditions, along with a constant (45 mmol) TBHP oxidant amount, (30 mmol) benzyl alcohol amount, and rigorous refluxing of 450 rpm, a maximum optimal benzaldehyde yield of 98.4% was obtained. To examine the acceptability of the models, further sensitivity studies including statistical error functions, analysis of variance (ANOVA) results, and the lack-of-fit test, among others, were employed. The obtained results show that the ANFIS model is the most suited to predicting benzaldehyde yield, followed by RSM. Green chemistry matrix calculations for the reaction reveal lower values of the E-factor (1.57), mass intensity (MI, 2.57), and mass productivity (MP, 38%), which are highly desirable for green and sustainable reactions. Therefore, utilizing a ceria-zirconia catalyst synthesized via the inverse micelle method for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol provides a green and sustainable methodology for the synthesis of benzaldehyde under mild conditions.

Ultra-stable and highly reactive colloidal gold nanoparticle catalysts protected using multi-dentate metal oxide nanoclusters

Owing to their remarkable properties, gold nanoparticles are applied in diverse fields, including catalysis, electronics, energy conversion and sensors. However, for catalytic applications of colloidal gold nanoparticles, the trade-off between their reactivity and stability is a significant concern. Here we report a universal approach for preparing stable and reactive colloidal small (~3 nm) gold nanoparticles by using multi-dentate polyoxometalates as protecting agents in non-polar solvents. These nanoparticles exhibit exceptional stability even under conditions of high concentration, long-term storage, heating and addition of bases. Moreover, they display excellent catalytic performance in various oxidation reactions of organic substrates using molecular oxygen as the sole oxidant. Our findings highlight the ability of inorganic multi-dentate ligands with structural stability and robust steric and electronic effects to confer stability and reactivity upon gold nanoparticles. This approach can be extended to prepare metal nanoparticles other than gold, enabling the design of novel nanomaterials with promising applications.

Leveraging the Proximity and Distribution of Cu-Cs Sites for Direct Conversion of Methanol to Esters/Aldehydes

Methanol serves as a versatile building-block for various commodity chemicals, and the development of industrially promising strategies for its conversion remains the ultimate goal in methanol chemistry. In this study, we design a dual Cu-Cs catalytic system that enables a one-step direct conversion of methanol and methyl acetate/ethanol into high value-added esters/aldehydes, with customized chain length and saturation by leveraging the proximity and distribution of Cu-Cs sites. Cu-Cs at a millimeter-scale intimacy triggers methanol dehydrogenation and condensation, involving proton transfer, aldol formation, and aldol condensation, to obtain unsaturated esters and aldehydes with selectivities of 76.3 % and 31.1 %, respectively. Cu-Cs at a micrometer-scale intimacy significantly promotes mass transfer of intermediates across catalyst interfaces and their subsequent hydrogenation to saturated esters and aldehydes with selectivities of 67.6 % and 93.1 %, respectively. Conversely, Cu-Cs at a nanometer-scale intimacy alters reaction pathway with a similar energy barrier for the rate-determining step, but blocks the acidic-basic sites and diverts the reaction to byproducts. More importantly, an unprecedented quadruple tandem catalytic production of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is achieved by further tailoring Cu and Cs distribution across the reaction bed in the configuration of Cu-Cs||Cs, outperforming the existing industrial processes and saving at least 15 % of production costs.

Co-Promoted CoNi Bimetallic Nanocatalyst for the Highly Efficient Catalytic Hydrogenation of Olefins

Bimetallic catalysts, especially non-noble metals, hold great potential for substituting for noble metals in catalytic hydrogenation. In present study, a series of Co_xNi_y (x + y = 6) bimetallic catalysts were prepared through the impregnation-reduction method and cyclohexene was chosen as probe-molecule to study the promotion effect of Co on the catalytic olefin hydrogenation reactions. Meanwhile, density functional theory (DFT) was utilized to investigate the formation energies and the charge distribution of CoNi bimetals, as well as the transition state (TS) searches for hydrogen dissociation and migration. The results suggest that bimetals tend to have superior catalytic performance than pure metals, and Co₃Ni₃ shows the highest catalytic activity on the cyclohexene hydrogenation. It was found that the charge transfer from Co to Ni and the alloying give rise to the refinement of CoNi grains and the improvement of its catalytic activity and stability. Thus, it may be possible to obtain better catalytic performance by tuning the metal/metal atomic ratio of bimetals.

L-Shaped Heterobidentate Imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-3-ylidene (N,C)-Ligands for Oxidant-Free AuI /AuIII Catalysis

In the last decade, major advances have been made in homogeneous gold catalysis. However, AuI /AuIII catalytic cycle remains much less explored due to the reluctance of AuI to undergo oxidative addition and the stability of the AuIII intermediate. Herein, we report activation of aryl halides at gold(I) enabled by NHC (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) ligands through the development of a new class of L-shaped heterobidentate ImPy (ImPy=imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-3-ylidene) N,C ligands that feature hemilabile character of the amino group in combination with strong σ-donation of the carbene center in a rigid conformation, imposed by the ligand architecture. Detailed characterization and control studies reveal key ligand features for AuI /AuIII redox cycle, wherein the hemilabile nitrogen is placed at the coordinating position of a rigid framework. Given the tremendous significance of homogeneous gold catalysis, we anticipate that this ligand platform will find widespread application.

Locking Effect in Metal@MOF with Superior Stability for Highly Chemoselective Catalysis

Ultrasmall metal nanoparticles (NPs) show high catalytic activity in heterogeneous catalysis but are prone to reunion and loss during the catalytic process, resulting in low chemoselectivity and poor efficiency. Herein, a locking effect strategy is proposed to synthesize high-loading and ultrafine metal NPs in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for efficient chemoselective catalysis with high stability. Briefly, the MOF ZIF-90 with aldehyde groups cooperating with diamine chains via aldimine condensation was interlocked, which was employed to confine in situ formation of Au NPs, denoted as Au@L-ZIF-90. The optimized Au@L_a-ZIF-90 has highly dispersed Au NPs (2.60 ± 0.81 nm) with a loading amount around 22 wt % and shows a great performance toward 3-aminophenylacetylene (3-APA) from the selective hydrogenation of 3-nitrophenylacetylene (3-NPA) with a high yield (99%) and excellent durability (over 20 cycles), far superior to contrast catalysts without chains locking and other reported catalysts. In addition, experimental characterization and systematic density functional theory calculations further demonstrate that the locked MOF modulates the charge of Au nanoparticles, making them highly specific for nitro group hydrogenation to obtain 3-APA with high selectivity (99%). Furthermore, this locking effect strategy is also applicable to other metal nanoparticles confined in a variety of MOFs, and all of these catalysts locked with chains show great selectivity (≥90%) of 3-APA. The proposed strategy in this work provides a novel and universal method for precise control of the inherent activity of accessible metal nanoparticles with a programmable MOF microenvironment toward highly specific catalysis.

Exploration of active sites of ethyl alcohol electro-oxidation on porous gold nanoparticles with enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Novel porous gold nanospheres are prepared by calcination of the gold-urea complexes. The enhanced Raman spectra of ethanol catalyzed by different doses of porous gold nanospheres are measured with a 532 nm laser as the excitation source, and an enhanced charge coupled device served in spectral detection and microscopic imaging. The electrochemical experiments show that the catalytic oxidation products of ethanol with porous gold nanoparticles are acetaldehyde, acetic acid, and water, which further proved that the porous gold nanoparticles can activate the -CH₂ of ethanol.

Structural Engineering toward Gold Nanocluster Catalysis

Atomically precise gold nanoclusters provide great opportunities to explore the relationship between the structure and properties of nanogold catalysts. A nanocluster consists of a metal core and a surface ligand shell, and both the core and shell have significant effects on the catalytic properties. Thanks to their precise structures, the active metal site of the clusters can be readily identified and the effects of ligands on catalysis can be disclosed. In this Minireview, we summarize recent advances in catalytic research of gold nanoclusters, emphasizing four strategies for constructing open metal sites, including by post-treatment, the bulky ligands strategy, the surface geometric mismatch method, and heteroatom doping procedures. We also discuss the effects of ligands on the catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability of gold cluster catalysts. Finally, we present future challenges relating to gold cluster catalysis.

Synergistically Activated Pd Atom in Polymer-Stabilized Au23Pd1 Cluster

Single Pd atom doped Au₂₃Pd₁ clusters stabilized by polyvinylpyrrolidone (Au₂₃Pd₁:PVP) were selectively synthesized by kinetically controlled coreduction of the Au and Pd precursor ions. The geometric structure of Au₂₃Pd₁:PVP was investigated by density functional theory calculation, aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed CO, and hydrogenation catalysis. These results showed that Au₂₃Pd₁:PVP takes polydisperse but the same atomic arrangements as undoped Au₂₄:PVP while exposing all the atoms including the Pd atom on the surface. Au₂₃Pd₁:PVP exhibited a significantly higher catalytic activity than Au₂₄:PVP for the aerobic oxidation of p-substituted benzyl alcohols. The kinetic studies showed that the rate-determining step was the hydride abstraction from the α-carbon of the alkoxides for both systems. The activation energy for hydride abstraction by Au₂₃Pd₁:PVP was lower than that by Au₂₄:PVP, indicating that the doped Pd atom acts as the active center.

Supported Gold Nanoparticle-Catalyzed Selective Reduction of Multifunctional, Aromatic Nitro Precursors into Amines and Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydroquinoxalin-2-Ones

The synthesis of 3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2-ones via the selective reduction of aromatic, multifunctional nitro precursors catalyzed by supported gold nanoparticles is reported. The reaction proceeds through the in situ formation of the corresponding amines under heterogeneous transfer hydrogenation of the initial nitro compounds catalyzed by the commercially available Au/TiO₂-Et₃SiH catalytic system, followed by an intramolecular C-N transamidation upon treatment with silica acting as a mild acid. Under the present conditions, the Au/TiO₂-TMDS system was also found to catalyze efficiently the present selective reduction process. Both transfer hydrogenation processes showed very good functional-group tolerance and were successfully applied to access more structurally demanding products bearing other reducible moieties such as chloro, aldehyde or methyl ketone. An easily scalable (up to 1 mmol), low catalyst loading (0.6 mol%) synthetic protocol was realized, providing access to this important scaffold. Under these mild catalytic conditions, the desired products were isolated in good to high yields and with a TON of 130. A library analysis was also performed to demonstrate the usefulness of our synthetic strategy and the physicochemical profile of the derivatives.

Gold nanoparticle-catalysed functionalization of carbon-hydrogen bonds by carbene transfer reactions

Gold nanoparticles stabilized by NHC ligands and supported onto reduced graphene oxide (rGO) catalyse the functionalization of cyclohexane and benzene C-H bonds upon insertion of carbene CHCO₂Et (from N₂CHCO₂Et) groups. This is the first example in which such C_sp3-H or C_sp2-H bonds are functionalized with this strategy with nanoparticulated gold. This Au-NP@rGO material shows an exceptional activity, providing TON values 5-10 times higher than those already reported for molecular gold catalysts. Recyclability is also effective, reaching an accumulated TON value of 1400 after six consecutive uses.

A Mechanistic Study of Thermal Decomposition of 1,1,2,2-Tetramethyldisilane Using Vacuum Ultraviolet Photoionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Thermal decomposition of 1,1,2,2-tetramethyldisilane was performed by flash pyrolysis in a SiC microreactor in the temperature range from 295 to 1340 K, followed by molecular beam sampling and vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry analysis. Density functional theory investigations on the energetics of reactants, intermediates, and products were carried out to support the experimental observations. Energetics for 1,1,2,2-tetramethyldisilane initiation decomposition reactions and important secondary reactions were calculated. Dimethylsilane, dimethylsilyl radicals, dimethylsilylene, trimethylsilane, and tetramethyldisilene were determined as the primary reaction products in the initiation thermal decompositions of 1,1,2,2-tetramethyldisilane. Further decomposition reactions of tetramethyldisilene, such as production of dimethylsilene (m/z = 72) and eventually SiC₃H₄ (m/z = 68) fragments, were examined. Other products from secondary reactions of dimethylsilane and dimethylsilylene such as SiC₂H_2-6 and SiCH_0-4 were also observed. The comprehensive pyrolysis mechanism of 1,1,2,2-tetramethyldisilane was proposed.

Plant-Based Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles and Theranostic Applications: A Review

Bionanotechnology is a branch of science that has revolutionized modern science and technology. Nanomaterials, especially noble metals, have attracted researchers due to their size and application in different branches of sciences that benefit humanity. Metal nanoparticles can be synthesized using green methods, which are good for the environment, economically viable, and facilitate synthesis. Due to their size and form, gold nanoparticles have become significant. Plant materials are of particular interest in the synthesis and manufacture of theranostic gold nanoparticles (NPs), which have been generated using various materials. On the other hand, chemically produced nanoparticles have several drawbacks in terms of cost, toxicity, and effectiveness. A plant-mediated integration of metallic nanoparticles has been developed in the field of nanotechnology to overcome the drawbacks of traditional synthesis, such as physical and synthetic strategies. Nanomaterials′ tunable features make them sophisticated tools in the biomedical platform, especially for developing new diagnostics and therapeutics for malignancy, neurodegenerative, and other chronic disorders. Therefore, this review outlines the theranostic approach, the different plant materials utilized in theranostic applications, and future directions based on current breakthroughs in these fields.

Migration of zeolite-encapsulated Pt and Au under reducing environments

Simulations reveal accelerated migration of Pt@zeolite by reducing adsorbates and the importance of PtCO in early stages of particle growth.

One-pot synthesis of finely-dispersed Au nanoparticles on ZnO hexagonal sheets for base-free aerobic oxidation of vanillyl alcohol

Highly-dispersed and small-sized Au (2.2 nm)/ZnO catalyst was prepared using metal ions and 2-methylimidazole by one-pot coordination–calcination method, and showed superior performances for vanillin synthesis via base-free oxidation.

Selective Mild Oxidation of Anilines into Nitroarenes by Catalytic Activation of Mesoporous Frameworks Linked with Gold-Loaded Mn3 O4 Nanoparticles

This work reports the synthesis and catalytic application of mesoporous Au-loaded Mn3 O4 nanoparticle assemblies (MNAs) with different Au contents, i. e., 0.2, 0.5 and 1 wt %, towards the selective oxidation of anilines into the corresponding nitroarenes. Among common oxidants, as well as several supported gold nanoparticle platforms, Au/Mn3 O4 MNAs containing 0.5 wt % Au with an average particle size of 3-4 nm show the best catalytic performance in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as a mild oxidant. In all cases, the corresponding nitroarenes were isolated in high to excellent yields (85-97 %) and selectivity (>98 %) from acetonitrile or greener solvents, such as ethyl acetate, after simple flash chromatography purification. The 0.5 % Au/Mn3 O4 catalyst can be isolated and reused four times without a significant loss of its activity and can be applied successfully to a lab-scale reaction of p-toluidine (1 mmol) leading to the p-nitrotulene in 83 % yield. The presence of AuNPs on the Mn3 O4 surface enhances the catalytic activity for the formation of the desired nitroarene. A reasonable mechanism was proposed including the plausible formation of two intermediates, the corresponding N-aryl hydroxylamine and the nitrosoarene.

Catalytically Active Gold Nanomaterials Stabilized by N-heterocyclic Carbenes

Solid supported or ligand capped gold nanomaterials (AuNMs) emerged as versatile and recyclable heterogeneous catalysts for a broad variety of conversions in the ongoing catalytic 'gold rush'. Existing at the border of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, AuNMs offer the potential to merge high catalytic activity with significant substrate selectivity. Owing to their strong binding towards the surface atoms of AuMNs, NHCs offer tunable activation of surface atoms while maintaining selectivity and stability of the NM even under challenging conditions. This work summarizes well-defined catalytically active NHC capped AuNMs including spherical nanoparticles and atom-precise nanoclusters as well as the important NHC design choices towards activity and (stereo-)selectivity enhancements.

Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Tannin-Rich Extract and Coating onto Cotton Textiles for Catalytic Degradation of Congo Red

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized under ambient conditions from chloroauric acid in aqueous solution at pH 4. Tannin-rich extract from Xylocarpus granatum bark was used as both reducing and capping agent, rapidly converting Au (I) salt to AuNPs. Transmission electron microscopy showed the as-prepared AuNPs to be predominantly spherical, with an average diameter of 17 nm. The AuNPs were tested for catalytic reduction of Congo red (CR), a carcinogenic azo dye, in aqueous sodium borohydride solution. Cotton samples were coated with the AuNPs, taking on a reddish-purple color. The samples showed significantly reduced tearing strength after coating, though tensile strength was unaffected. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to determine the dye concentration in the water. CR degradation was observed only when AuNPs were present, and the efficiency of degradation was strongly linked to the AuNP loading. The AuNP-coated fabrics left only a 4.7% CR concentration in the solution after 24 h and therefore promise as a heterogeneous catalyst for degradation of CR in aqueous solution.

Ambient Hydrogenation and Deuteration of Alkenes Using a Nanostructured Ni-Core-Shell Catalyst

A general protocol for the selective hydrogenation and deuteration of a variety of alkenes is presented. Key to success for these reactions is the use of a specific nickel-graphitic shell-based core-shell-structured catalyst, which is conveniently prepared by impregnation and subsequent calcination of nickel nitrate on carbon at 450 °C under argon. Applying this nanostructured catalyst, both terminal and internal alkenes, which are of industrial and commercial importance, were selectively hydrogenated and deuterated at ambient conditions (room temperature, using 1 bar hydrogen or 1 bar deuterium), giving access to the corresponding alkanes and deuterium-labeled alkanes in good to excellent yields. The synthetic utility and practicability of this Ni-based hydrogenation protocol is demonstrated by gram-scale reactions as well as efficient catalyst recycling experiments.

Metal-Organic Frameworks as a Versatile Materials Platform for Unlocking New Potentials in Biocatalysis

Biocatalysts immobilization with nanomaterials has promoted the development of biocatalysis significantly and made it an indispensable part of catalysis industries nowadays. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), constructed from organic linkers and metal ions or clusters, have raised significant interests for biocatalysts immobilization in recent years. The diversity of building units, molecular-scale tunability, and modular synthetic routes of MOFs greatly expand its ability as the host to integrate with biocatalysts. In this review, the general synthetic strategies of MOFs with biocatalysts are first summarized. Then, the recent progress of MOFs as a versatile host for a series of biocatalysts, including natural enzymes, nanozymes, and organism-based biocatalysts, followed by the introduction of MOFs themselves as biocatalysts, is discussed. Furthermore, the stimuli-responsive properties of MOFs themselves or the additional functionalization of protein, polymer, and peptide within/on MOF that enable the biocatalysts with the controllable and tunable behavior are also summarized, which could unlock new potentials in biocatalysis. Finally, a perspective of the upcoming challenges, potential impacts, and future directions of biocatalytic MOFs is provided.

Chiral Gold(III) Complexes: Synthesis, Structure, and Potential Applications

Since the beginning of the 2000's, homogeneous gold catalysis has emerged as a powerful tool to promote the cyclization of unsaturated substrates with excellent regioselectivity allowing the synthesis of elaborated organic scaffolds. An important goal to achieve in gold catalysis is the possibility to induce enantioselective transformations by the assistance of chiral complexes. Unfortunately, the linear geometry of coordination for gold usually encountered in complexes at the +1 oxidation states renders this goal very challenging. In consequence, the interest toward the synthesis of chiral gold(III) complexes is steadily growing. Indeed, the square planar geometry of the gold(III) cation appears more suitable to promote chiral induction. Beside catalysis, gold(III) complexes have also shown promising potential in the field of pharmacology. Herein, syntheses and applications of well-defined gold(III) complexes reported over the last fifteen years are summarized.

Trends in Sustainable Synthesis of Organics by Gold Nanoparticles Embedded in Polymer Matrices

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have emerged in recent decades as attractive and selective catalysts for sustainable organic synthesis. Nanostructured gold is indeed environmentally friendly and benign for human health; at the same time, it is active, under different morphologies, in a large variety of oxidation and reduction reactions of interest for the chemical industry. To stabilize the AuNPs and optimize the chemical environment of the catalytic sites, a wide library of natural and synthetic polymers has been proposed. This review describes the main routes for the preparation of AuNPs supported/embedded in synthetic organic polymers and compares the performances of these catalysts with those of the most popular AuNPs supported onto inorganic materials applied in hydrogenation and oxidation reactions. Some examples of cascade coupling reactions are also discussed where the polymer-supported AuNPs allow for the attainment of remarkable activity and selectivity.

Hydrogenation of HOPG-Supported Gold Nanoparticles: Surface or Volume?

The hydrogenation features of gold nanoparticles deposited on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite were determined, and composite nanostructures consisting of pure and hydrogenized gold were synthesized. Methods of scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy have been successfully used to probe the bottom of the conductive band and to determine the shape of the electron energy barrier in hydrogenized gold. Considering models of surface and volume hydrogenation, we have shown that no hydrogen dissolution occurred in gold nanoparticles, but all changes in their electronic structure were associated with surface processes. The results of the quantum chemical simulation also corresponded with this conclusion.

Asymmetries in the Electronic Properties of Spheroidal Metallic Nanoparticles, Revealed by Conduction Electron Spin Resonance and Surface Plasmon Resonance

Using electron spin resonance spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the morphological asymmetries present in small spheroidal metallic nanoparticles give rise to asymmetries in the behavior of electrons held in states near the metal's Fermi energy. We find that the effects of morphological asymmetries for these spheroidal systems are more important than the effects of size distributions when explaining the asymmetry in electronic behavior. This is found to be true for all the particles examined, which were made from Cu, Ag, Pd, Ir, Pt, and Au, bearing dodecanethiolate ligands. In the case of the Ag particles, we also demonstrate that the same model used to account for morphological effects in the electron spin resonance spectra can be used to account for small asymmetries present in the plasmon spectrum. This result demonstrates that the electronic properties of even small particles are tunable via morphological changes.

Nanocatalysts for High Selectivity Enyne Cyclization: Oxidative Surface Reorganization of Gold Sub-2-nm Nanoparticle Networks

Ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized in networks by polymantane ligands (diamondoids) were successfully used as precatalysts for highly selective heterogeneous gold-catalyzed dimethyl allyl(propargyl)malonate cyclization to 5-membered conjugated diene. Such reaction usually suffers from selectivity issues with homogeneous catalysts. This control over selectivity further opened the way to one-pot cascade reaction, as illustrated by the 1,6-enyne cycloisomerization-Diels-Alder reaction of dimethyl allyl propargyl malonate with maleic anhydride. The ability to assemble nanoparticles with controllable sizes and shapes within networks concerns research in sensors, medical diagnostics, information storage, and catalysis applications. Herein, the control of the synthesis of sub-2-nm gold NPs is achieved by the formation of dense networks, which are assembled in a single step reaction by employing ditopic polymantanethiols. By using 1,1'-bisadamantane-3,3'-dithiol (BAd-SH) and diamantane-4,9-dithiol (DAd-SH), serving both as bulky surface stabilizers and short-sized linkers, we provide a simple method to form uniformly small gold NPs (1.3 ± 0.2 nm to 1.6 ± 0.3 nm) embedded in rigid frameworks. These NP arrays are organized alongside short interparticular distances ranging from 1.9 to 2.7 nm. The analysis of gold NP surfaces and their modification were achieved in joint experimental and theoretical studies, using notably XPS, NMR, and DFT modeling. Our experimental studies and DFT analyses highlighted the necessary oxidative surface reorganization of individual nanoparticles for an effective enyne cycloisomerization. The modifications at bulky stabilizing ligands allow surface steric decongestion for the alkyne moiety activation but also result in network alteration by overoxidation of sulfurs. Thus, sub-2-nm nanoparticles originating from networks building create convenient conditions for generating reactive Au(I) surface single-sites-in the absence of silver additives-useful for heterogeneous gold-catalyzed enyne cyclization. These nanocatalysts, which as such ease organic products separation, also provide a convenient access for building further polycyclic complexity, owing to their high reactivity and selectivity.

Efficient Synthesis of Methyl Methacrylate by One Step Oxidative Esterification over Zn-Al-Mixed Oxides Supported Gold Nanocatalysts

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) is an important monomer in fine chemicals. The synthesis of MMA by one-step oxidative esterification from methacrolein with methanol over a heterogeneous catalyst with high activity, selectivity and stability is highly desirable. Herein, Zn-Al-hydrotalcites (HTs)-supported atomically precise Au25 nanoclusters with different molar ratios of Zn2+/Al3+ were prepared and used as the precursors for this reaction. They exhibited good performances in comparison with the gold catalysts prepared by the deposition precipitation method. The structural and electronic properties were evaluated by various characterization technologies, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) of CO adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and CO2 temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). The combined characterization results suggested that the adsorption property of gold and the basicity of the catalyst contributes to their high activities. Substrates extended experiments and stability tests implied the potential application of Zn-Al-mixed oxides supported gold catalysts, which paves a new way for supported gold catalyst in the one-step oxidation esterification reaction.