Polyhydroxylated ammonium chloride salt: a new efficient surfactant for nanoparticles stabilisation in aqueous media. Characterization and application in catalysis

Catalysts for Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs): Efficient Storage and Transport for Renewable Energy

Restructuring the current energy industry towards sustainability requires transitioning from carbon based to renewable energy sources, reducing CO2 emissions. Hydrogen, is considered a significant clean energy carrier. However, it faces challenges in transportation and storage due to its high reactivity, flammability, and low density under ambient conditions. Liquid organic hydrogen carriers offer a solution for storing hydrogen because they allow for the economical and practical storage of organic compounds in regular vessels through hydrogenation and dehydrogenation. This review evaluates several hydrogen technologies aimed at addressing the challenges associated with hydrogen transportation and its economic viablity. The discussion delves into exploring the catalysts and their activity in the context of catalysts' development. This review highlights the pivotal role of various catalyst materials in enhancing the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation activities of multiple LOHC systems, including benzene/cyclohexane, toluene/methylcyclohexane (MCH), N-ethylcarbazole (NEC)/dodecahydro-N-ethylcarbazole (H12-NEC), and dibenzyltoluene (DBT)/perhydrodibenzyltoluene (H18-DBT). By exploring the catalytic properties of noble metals, transition metals, and multimetallic catalysts, the review provides valuable insights into their design and optimization. Also, the discussion revolved around the implementation of a hydrogen economy on a global scale, with a particular focus on the plans pertaining to Saudi Arabia and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries. The review lays out the challenges this technology will face, including the need to increase its H2 capacity, reduce energy consumption by providing solutions, and guarantee the thermal stability of the materials.

Water-Soluble Noble Metal Nanoparticle Catalysts Capped with Small Organic Molecules for Organic Transformations in Water

This article recaps a variety of interesting catalytic studies based on solubilized and freely movable noble metal nanoparticle catalysts employed for organic reactions in either pure water or water-organic biphasic systems. Small organic ligand-capped metal nanoparticles are fundamentally attractive materials due to their enormous potential as a well-defined system that can provide spatial control near active catalytic sites. The nanoparticle catalysts are first grouped based on the synthetic method (direct reduction, phase transfer, and redispersion) and then again based on the type of reaction such as alkene hydrogenation, arene hydrogenation, nitroaromatic reduction, carbon-carbon coupling reactions, etc. The impacts of various ligands on the catalytic activity and selectivity of semi-heterogeneous nanoparticles in water are discussed in detail. The catalytic systems using polymers, dendrimers, and ionic liquids as supporting or protecting materials are excluded from the subject of this review.

Synthesis of ethanol from aryl methyl ether/lignin, CO2 and H2

Currently, ethanol is produced via hydration of ethene or fermentation of foods. Lignin and CO2 are abundant, cheap and renewable feedstocks. Synthesis of ethanol using the lignin or its derivatives is of great importance, but is a great challenge and has rarely been reported. Herein, we propose a route to synthesize ethanol from CO2, H2, and lignin or various aryl methyl ethers, which can be derived from lignin. The reaction could be effectively conducted using Ru-Co bimetallic catalyst and the TON of ethanol could reach 145. Interestingly, ethanol was the only liquid product when lignin was used. A series of control experiments indicate that ethanol was formed via cleavage of aryl ether bond, reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction, and C-C bond formation. This protocol opens a way to produce ethanol using abundant renewable resources.

The role and fate of capping ligands in colloidally prepared metal nanoparticle catalysts

In this Perspective article, we highlight emerging opportunities for the rational design of catalysts upon the choice, exchange, partial removal or pyrolysis of ligands.

Synthesis of ketones from biomass-derived feedstock

Cyclohexanone and its derivatives are very important chemicals, which are currently produced mainly by oxidation of cyclohexane or alkylcyclohexane, hydrogenation of phenols, and alkylation of cyclohexanone. Here we report that bromide salt-modified Pd/C in H₂O/CH₂Cl₂ can efficiently catalyse the transformation of aromatic ethers, which can be derived from biomass, to cyclohexanone and its derivatives via hydrogenation and hydrolysis processes. The yield of cyclohexanone from anisole can reach 96%, and the yields of cyclohexanone derivatives produced from the aromatic ethers, which can be extracted from plants or derived from lignin, are also satisfactory. Detailed study shows that the Pd, bromide salt and H₂O/CH₂Cl₂ work cooperatively to promote the desired reaction and inhibit the side reaction. Thus high yields of desired products can be obtained. This work opens the way for production of ketones from aromatic ethers that can be derived from biomass.

Conversion of biomass-derived chemicals to industrially relevant products can allow sustainable production of organic compounds. Here the authors report that aromatic ethers, which can be derived for biomass, can be converted into various cyclohexanones via a bromide salt-modified palladium catalyst.

Selective hydrogenation of arenes to cyclohexanes in water catalyzed by chitin-supported ruthenium nanoparticles

The selective hydrogenation of arenes to cyclohexanes is promoted by Ru/chitin under aqueous conditions without the loss of C–O/C–N linkages.

A mild route to solid-supported rhodium nanoparticle catalysts and their application to the selective hydrogenation reaction of substituted arenes

A clean route is described for the preparation of 1.3% (w/w) supported rhodium nanoparticle (3.0 ± 0.7 nm) catalysts onto commercial ion-exchange resins.

Chiral ammonium-capped rhodium(0) nanocatalysts: synthesis, characterization, and advances in asymmetric hydrogenation in neat water

Optically active amphiphilic compounds derived from N-methylephedrine, N-methylprolinol, or cinchona derivatives possessing bromide or chiral lactate counterions were efficiently used as protective agents for rhodium(0) nanoparticles. The full characterization of these surfactants and the obtained nanocatalysts was performed by means of different techniques. These spherical nanoparticles, with sizes between 0.8-2.5 nm depending on the stabilizer, were evaluated in the hydrogenation of model substrates in neat water as a green solvent. The rhodium catalysts showed relevant kinetic properties, but modest enantiomeric excess values of up to 13 % in the hydrogenation of ethyl pyruvate. They were also investigated in the hydrogenation of disubstituted arenes, such as m-methylanisole, providing interesting catalytic activities and a preferential cis selectivity of around 80 %; however, no asymmetric induction was observed.

In situ formed "weakly ligated/labile ligand" iridium(0) nanoparticles and aggregates as catalysts for the complete hydrogenation of neat benzene at room temperature and mild pressures

"Weakly ligated/labile ligand" nanoparticles, that is nanoparticles where only weakly coordinated ligands plus the desired catalytic reactants are present, are of fundamental interest. Described herein is a catalyst system for benzene hydrogenation to cyclohexane consisting of "weakly ligated/labile ligand" Ir(0) nanoparticles and aggregates plus dry-HCl formed in situ from commercially available [(1,5-COD)IrCl](2) plus 40 +/- 1 psig (approximately 2.7 atm) H(2) at 22 +/- 0.1 degrees C. Multiple control and other experiments reveal the following points: (i) that this catalyst system is quite active with a TOF (turnover frequency) of 25 h(-1) and TTO (total turnovers) of 5250; (ii) that the BF(4)(-) and PF(6)(-) iridium salt precursors, [(1,5-COD)Ir(CH(3)CN)(2)]BF(4) and [(1,5-COD)Ir(CH(3)CN)(2)]PF(6), yield inferior catalysts; (iii) that iridium black with or without added, preformed HCl cannot achieve the TOF of 25 h(-1) of the in situ formed Ir(0)/dry-HCl catalyst. However and importantly, CS(2) poisoning experiments yield the same activity per active iridium atom for both the Ir(0)/dry-HCl and Ir black/no-HCl catalysts (12.5 h(-1) Ir(1-)), but reveal that the Ir(0)/dry-HCl system is 10-fold more dispersed compared to the Ir(0) black catalyst. The simple but important and key result is that "weakly ligated/labile ligand" Ir(0) nanoparticles and aggregates have been made in situ as demonstrated by the fact that they have identical, per exposed Ir(0) activity within experimental error to Ir(0) black and that they have no possible ligands other than those desired for the catalysis (benzene and H(2)) plus the at best poor ligand HCl. As expected, the in situ catalyst is poorly stabilized, exhibiting only 60% of its initial activity in a second run of benzene hydrogenation and resulting in bulk metal precipitation. However, stabilization of the Ir(0) nanoparticles with a ca. 2-fold higher catalytic activity and somewhat longer lifetime for the complete hydrogenation of benzene was accomplished by supporting the Ir(0) nanoparticles onto zeolite-Y (TOF of 47 h(-1) and 8600 TTO under otherwise identical conditions). Also reported is the interesting result that Cl(-) (present as Proton Sponge x H(+)Cl(-)) completely poisons benzene hydrogenation catalysis, but not the easier cyclohexene hydrogenation catalysis under otherwise the same conditions, results that suggest different active sites for these ostensibly related hydrogenation reaction. The results suggest that synthetic routes to "weakly ligated/labile ligand" nanoparticles exhibiting improved catalytic performance is an important goal worthy of additional effort.