Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Zirconium Phosphate Nanoplatelet-Supported Ru-Anadem Nanostructures and Their Catalytic Study for the Hydrogenation of Acetophenone

The catalytic hydrogenation of organic compounds containing carbonyl groups has been extensively studied and widely used in industrial processes. Herein, we report the preparation of a novel nanomaterial, α-zirconium phosphate (α-ZrP) nanoplatelet-supported ruthenium nano-anadem catalyst, which possesses high selectivity in the catalytic hydrogenation of aromatic ketones. The α-ZrP nanoplatelets were prepared using a modified reflux method. Through an ion-exchange and reduction reaction pathway, ruthenium nanoparticles were loaded on ZrP to produce Ru-ZrP with a nano-anadem structure. The successful synthesis of Ru-ZrP composites is supported by a series of characterization techniques (PXRD, SEM, TEM, EDS, XPS, FT-IR, etc.). Compared with pure ZrP nanoplatelets, the catalytic hydrogenation of acetophenone has been dramatically improved when using Ru-ZrP. Full conversion was achieved at room temperature, and the yield of 1-cyclohexylehtanol was up to 95%. The effects of reaction time, reaction temperature, and hydrogen pressure were investigated. The investigation illustrates that there are two proposed reaction pathways in the hydrogenation of acetophenone, which are further supported by computational analyses. Recycling experiments indicate that the Ru-ZrP material could be reused four times without a noticeable activity decrease.

How N-(pyridin-4-yl)pyridin-4-amine and its methyl and nitro derivatives are arranged in the interlayer space of zirconium sulfophenylphosphonate: a problem solved by experimental and calculation methods

Classical molecular simulation methods were used for a description of an arrangement of intercalated molecules N-(pyridin-4-yl)pyridin-4-amine (AH) and its derivatives, 3-methyl-N-(pyridin-4-yl)pyridin-4-amine (AMe), and 3-nitro-N-(pyridin-4-yl)pyridin-4-amine (ANO2) within a layered structure of zirconium 4-sulfophenylphosphonate. The intercalated molecules were placed between SO₃H groups of the host layers. Their mutual positions and orientations were solved by molecular simulation methods and compared with the presented experimental results. Final calculated data showed differences of partially disordered arrangement of the intercalated molecules between zirconium 4-sulfophenylphosphonate layers. The calculation results revealed a dense net of hydrogen bonds connecting water molecules and the guests in the interlayer space and the sulfo groups of the host layers. We calculated the dipole moments of the AH, AMe and ANO2 guests in the final models in order to illustrate potential use of these materials in non-linear optics.