Experimental and ab Initio Investigations of H2S-Assisted Propane Oxidative Dehydrogenation Reactions

Oxidative dehydrogenation of propane over transition metal sulfides using sulfur as an alternative oxidant

Sulfur vapor (S₂) is explored as a “soft” oxidant for the selective catalytic dehydrogenation of propane to propylene over a variety of metal sulfide surfaces.

Shale Gas Implications for C2-C3 Olefin Production: Incumbent and Future Technology

Substantial natural gas liquids recovery from tight shale formations has produced a significant boon for the US chemical industry. As fracking technology improves, shale liquids may represent the same for other geographies. As with any major industry disruption, the advent of shale resources permits both the chemical industry and the community an excellent opportunity to have open, foundational discussions on how both public and private institutions should research, develop, and utilize these resources most sustainably. This review summarizes current chemical industry processes that use ethane and propane from shale gas liquids to produce the two primary chemical olefins of the industry: ethylene and propylene. It also discusses simplified techno-economics related to olefins production from an industry perspective, attempting to provide a mutually beneficial context in which to discuss the next generation of sustainable olefin process development.

Fluorescence chemosensors for hydrogen sulfide detection in biological systems

A comprehensive review of the development of H2S fluorescence-sensing strategies, including sensors based on chemical reactions and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), is presented. The advantages and disadvantages of fluorescence-sensing strategies are compared with those of traditional methods. Fluorescence chemosensors, especially those used in FRET sensing, are highly promising because of their low cost, technical simplicity, and their use in real-time sulfide imaging in living cells. Potential applications based on sulfate reduction to H2S, the relationship between sulfate-reducing bacteria activity and H2S yield, and real-time detection of sulfate-reducing bacteria activity using fluorescence sensors are described. The current challenges, such as low sensitivity and poor stability, are discussed.