Interfacing with Fe-N-C Sites Boosts the Formic Acid Dehydrogenation of Palladium Nanoparticles.

Hierarchical micro-/mesoporous carbons with abundant Fe-N-C sites were prepared through one-step carbonization of a metal-organic framework (MOF) with sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid [NaFe(III)EDTA], which can facilitate the nucleation and growth of ultrafine (∼1.4 nm) and highly dispersed palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs). Interfacing Pd NPs with Fe-N-C sites has been demonstrated for the first time to boost the heterogeneous catalysis of hydrogen production from formic acid, affording an ultrahigh turnover frequency (TOF) value of 7361 h-1 at 323 K. The robust synergistic interactions between Pd NPs and Fe-N-C sites together with the small size effects of Pd NPs are responsible for the enhanced catalytic activity.

Fabrication of a Spherical Superstructure of Carbon Nanorods.

Hierarchical superstructures in nano/microsize have attracted great attention owing to their wide potential applications. Herein, a self-templated strategy is presented for the synthesis of a spherical superstructure of carbon nanorods (SS-CNR) in micrometers through the morphology-preserved thermal transformation of a spherical superstructure of metal-organic framework nanorods (SS-MOFNR). The self-ordered SS-MOFNR with a chestnut-shell-like superstructure composed of 1D MOF nanorods on the shell is synthesized by a hydrothermal transformation process from crystalline MOF nanoparticles. After carbonization in argon, the hierarchical SS-MOFNR transforms into SS-CNR, which preserves the original chestnut-shell-like superstructure with 1D porous carbon nanorods on the shell. Taking the advantage of this functional superstructure, SS-CNR immobilized with ultrafine palladium (Pd) nanoparticles (Pd@SS-CNR) exhibits excellent catalytic activity for formic acid dehydrogenation. This synthetic strategy provides a facile method to synthesize uniform spherical superstructures constructed from 1D MOF nanorods or carbon nanorods for applications in catalysis and energy storage.

Highly efficient hydrogen generation from formic acid using a reduced graphene oxide-supported AuPd nanoparticle catalyst.

Highly dispersed AuPd alloy nanoparticles have been successfully immobilized on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using a facile non-noble metal sacrificial method, which exhibit the highest activity at 323 K (turnover frequency, 4840 h(-1)) for hydrogen generation without CO impurity from the formic acid/sodium formate system.

Immobilizing Extremely Catalytically Active Palladium Nanoparticles to Carbon Nanospheres: A Weakly-Capping Growth Approach.

Ultrafine palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) supported on carbon nanospheres have been successfully synthesized using a facile methanol-mediated weakly-capping growth approach (WCGA) with anhydrous methanol as a mild reductant and a weakly capping agent. The Pd NPs show exceedingly high catalytic activity for 100% selective dehydrogenation of aqueous formic acid (FA) at ambient temperatures. The small size and clean surface of the Pd NPs greatly improve the catalytic properties of the as-prepared catalyst, providing an average rate of CO-free H2 generation up to 43 L H2 gPd(-1) min(-1) and a turnover frequency of 7256 h(-1) at 60 °C. These values are much higher than those obtained even with the most active catalyst reported thus far for heterogeneously catalyzed dehydrogenation of FA. This remarkably facile and effective methanol-mediated WCGA provides a powerful entry into ultrafine metal NPs with clean surface to achieve enhanced performance. Moreover, the catalytic results open up new avenues in the effective applications of FA for hydrogen storage.

Surfactant-free Pd nanoparticles immobilized to a metal-organic framework with size- and location-dependent catalytic selectivity.

Surfactant-free Pd nanoparticles, immobilized to a metal-organic framework (MIL-101), have been used for the first time as highly active and durable catalysts in water for biomass refining (hydrodeoxygenation of vanillin, a typical compound of lignin) with metal nanoparticle size- and location-dependent catalytic activity and selectivity.

Immobilizing highly catalytically active noble metal nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide: a non-noble metal sacrificial approach.

In this work, we have developed a non-noble metal sacrificial approach for the first time to successfully immobilize highly dispersed AgPd nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The Co3(BO3)2 co-precipitated with AgPd nanoparticles and subsequently sacrificed by acid etching effectively prevents the primary AgPd particles from aggregation. The resulted ultrafine AgPd nanoparticles exhibit the highest activity (turnover frequency, 2739 h(-1) at 323 K) among all the heterogeneous catalysts for the dehydrogenation of formic acid to generate hydrogen without CO impurity. The sacrificial approach opens up a new avenue for the development of high-performance metal nanocatalysts.

Metal-organic framework-immobilized polyhedral metal nanocrystals: reduction at solid-gas interface, metal segregation, core-shell structure, and high catalytic activity.

For the first time, this work presents surfactant-free monometallic and bimetallic polyhedral metal nanocrystals (MNCs) immobilized to a metal-organic framework (MIL-101) by CO-directed reduction of metal precursors at the solid-gas interface. With this novel method, Pt cubes and Pd tetrahedra were formed by CO preferential bindings on their (100) and (111) facets, respectively. PtPd bimetallic nanocrystals showed metal segregation, leading to Pd-rich core and Pt-rich shell. Core-shell Pt@Pd nanocrystals were immobilized to MIL-101 by seed-mediated two-step reduction, representing the first example of core-shell MNCs formed using only gas-phase reducing agents. These MOF-supported MNCs exhibited high catalytic activities for CO oxidation.

Immobilizing highly catalytically active Pt nanoparticles inside the pores of metal-organic framework: a double solvents approach.

Ultrafine Pt nanoparticles were successfully immobilized inside the pores of a metal-organic framework, MIL-101, without aggregation of Pt nanoparticles on the external surfaces of framework by using a "double solvents" method. TEM and electron tomographic measurements clearly demonstrated the uniform three-dimensional distribution of the ultrafine Pt NPs throughout the interior cavities of MIL-101. The resulting Pt@MIL-101 composites represent the first highly active MOF-immobilized metal nanocatalysts for catalytic reactions in all three phases: liquid-phase ammonia borane hydrolysis, solid-phase ammonia borane thermal dehydrogenation, and gas-phase CO oxidation.

CO catalytic oxidation by a metal organic framework containing high density of reactive copper sites.

A new metal organic framework containing high density of active Cu sites demonstrates 100% oxidative conversion of CO to CO(2).

A series of (6,6)-connected porous lanthanide−organic framework enantiomers with high thermostability and exposed metal sites: scalable syntheses, structures, and sorption properties.

A series of microporous lanthanide-organic framework enantiomers, Ln(BTC)(H(2)O)·(DMF)(1.1) (Ln = Y 1a, 1b; Tb 2a, 2b; Dy 3a, 3b; Er 4a, 4b; Yb 5a, 5b, BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate; DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide) with unprecedented (6,6)-connected topology have been prepared and characterized. All these compounds exhibit very high thermal stability of over 450 °C. The pore characteristics and gas sorption properties of these compounds were investigated at cryogenic temperatures by experimentally measuring nitrogen, argon, and hydrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms. The studies show that all these compounds are highly porous with surface areas of 1080 (1), 786 (2), 757 (3), 676 (4), and 774 m(2)/g (5). The amounts of the hydrogen uptakes, 1.79 (1), 1.45 (2), 1.40 (3), 1.51 (4), and 1.41 wt % (5) at 77 K (1 atm), show their promising H(2) storage performances. These porous materials with considerable surface areas, high voids of 44.5% (1), 44.8% (2), 47.7% (3), 44.2% (4), and 45.7% (5), free windows of 6-7 Å, available exposed metal sites and very high thermal stability can be easily prepared on a large scale, which make them excellent candidates in many functional applications, such as, gas storage, catalysis, and so on.

Carbonyldinitrosyltris(fluorosulfato)tungstate(II) and -molybdate(II) anions: synthesis, spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations.

Carbonyldinitrosyltris(fluorosulfato)tungstate(II) and -molybdate-(II) anions, [fac-M(CO)(NO)2(SO3F)3]- (M=W, Mo), which are novel weakly coordinating anions that contain a metal carbonyl/nitrosyl moiety, have been generated in fluorosulfonic acid and completely characterized by multinuclear NMR, IR, and Raman spectroscopy as well as ESI mass spectrometry. ESI MS measurements performed for the first time on a superacidic solution system unambiguously reveal the formation of the monoanionic, mononuclear W and Mo complexes formulated as [M(CO)(NO)2(SO3F)3]- (M=W, Mo). Multinuclear NMR spectroscopic studies at natural abundance and 13C and 15N enrichment clearly indicate the presence of one CO ligand, two equivalent NO ligands, and two types of nonequivalent SO3F- groups in a 2:1 ratio. The IR and Raman spectra reveal that the two equivalent NO ligands have a cis conformation, thus indicating a fac structure. Density functional calculations at the B3LYP level of theory predict that these anions have a singlet ground state (1A) with a Cs symmetry along with C-O and N-O vibrational frequencies that are in agreement with the experimental observations. Mulliken population analysis shows that the monovalent negative charge is dispersed on the bulky sphere, the surface of which is covered by all the negatively charged O and F atoms with charge densities much lower than SO3F-, suggesting that [fac-M(CO)(NO)2(SO3F)3]- (M=W, Mo) are weakly nucleophilic and poorly coordinating anions.

Novel dimetal bridging carbene complexes derived from a terminal carbonyl dimetal compound. Syntheses, structures and reactivities of 7H-indene-coordinated diiron bridging carbene complexes.

Pentacarbonyl-7H-indenediiron, [Fe2(CO)5(eta3,eta5-C9H8)] (1), reacts with aryllithium, ArLi (Ar = C6H5, p-C6H5C6H4), followed by alkylation with Et3OBF4 to give novel 7H-indene-coordinated diiron bridging alkoxycarbene complexes [Fe2{mu-C(OC2H5)Ar}(CO)4(eta4,eta4-C9H8)] (2, Ar = C6H5; 3, Ar = p-C6H5C6H4). Complexes 2 and 3 react with HBF4.Et2O at low temperature to yield cationic bridging carbyne complexes [Fe2(mu-CAr)(CO)4(eta4,eta4-C9H8)]BF4 (4, Ar = C6H5; 5, Ar = p-C6H5C6H4). Cationic 4 and 5 react with NaBH4 in THF at low temperature to afford diiron bridging arylcarbene complexes [Fe2{mu-C(H)Ar}(CO)4(eta4,eta4-C9H8)] (6, Ar = C6H5; 7, Ar = p-C6H5C6H4). The similar reactions of 4 and 5 with NaSC6H4CH3-p produce the bridging arylthiocarbene complexes [Fe2{mu-C(Ar)SC6H4CH3-p}(CO)4(eta4,eta4-C9H8)] (8, Ar = C6H5; 9, Ar = p-C6H5C6H4). Cationic 4 and 5 can also react with anionic carbonylmetal compounds Na[M(CO)5(CN)] (M = Cr, Mo, W) to give the diiron bridging aryl(pentacarbonylcyanometal)carbene complexes [Fe2{mu-C(Ar)NCM(CO)5}(CO)4(eta4,eta4-C9H8)] (10, Ar = C6H5, M = Cr; 11, Ar = p-C6H5C6H4, M = Cr; 12, Ar = C6H5, M = Mo; 13, Ar = p-C6H5C6H4, M = Mo; 14, Ar = C6H5, M = W; 15, Ar = p-C6H5C6H4, M = W). Interestingly, in CH2Cl2 solution at room temperature complexes 10-15 were transformed into the isomerized 7H-indene-coordinated monoiron complexes [Fe(CO)2(eta5-C9H8)C(Ar)NCM(CO)5] (16, Ar = C6H5, M = Cr; 17, Ar = p-C6H5C6H4, M = Cr; 18, Ar = C6H5, M = Mo; 19, Ar = p-C6H5C6H4, M = Mo; 20, Ar = C6H5, M = W; 21, Ar = p-C6H5C6H4, M = W), while complex 3 was converted into a novel ring addition product [Fe2{C(OC2H5)C6H4C6H5-p-(eta2,eta5-C9H8)}(CO)5] (22) under the same conditions. The structures of complexes 2, 6, 8, 14, 18 and 22 have been established by X-ray diffraction studies.

Highly active and stable performance of catalytic vapor phase Koch-type carbonylation of tert-butyl alcohol over H-zeolites.

A high catalytic activity and excellent stability of the vapor phase Koch-type carbonylation of tert-butyl alcohol towards 2,2-dimethylpropanoic acid on a H-ZSM-5 catalyst were achieved with a yield as high as 90% without any threat of deactivation in 120 h.

Tungsten and molybdenum nitrosyl cations in fluorosulfonic acid.

The tungsten and molybdenum hexacarbonyls, M(CO)(6) (M = W, Mo), dissolve in fluorosulfonic acid, HSO(3)F, to generate the tungsten and molybdenum carbonyl cations, [M(CO)(4)](2+)(solv), which are transformed, by exposure to an NO atmosphere, into the tungsten and molybdenum carbonyldinitrosyl cations, [M(CO)(NO)(2)](2+)(solv), respectively. These complexes have been characterized by NMR ((183)W, (13)C, and (15)N), IR, and Raman spectroscopy, and they are the first well-characterized metal nitrosyl cations in strong acids or superacids although the spectroscopic techniques do not address the number or coordination mode of the solvent molecules. Their formation suggests that strong acids and superacids can hopefully be used to generate a number of metal nitrosyl cations as they have been successfully used for preparing a series of metal carbonyl cations.

Reactions of B atoms and clusters with NO: experimental and theoretical characterization of novel molecules containing B, N, and O.

Reactions of boron atoms and clusters with NO molecules in solid argon have been studied using matrix isolation infrared absorption spectroscopy. The reaction products were identified by isotopic substitution ((10)B, (11)B, (15)N(16)O, (14)N(18)O, and mixtures) and comparison with density functional calculations of isotopic frequencies. In solid argon, boron atoms spontaneously reacted with NO to form the insertion molecule NBO. The BNBO and OBNNO molecules were formed by the B and NO addition reactions to NBO. The linear BBNO and BBBNO nitrosyls also were formed spontaneously on annealing. These molecules photochemically rearranged to the more stable BNBO and BNBBO isomers, which have linear polyyne-like structures. The photosensitive OBNNO molecule decomposed to form the NNBO(2) van der Waals complex. In addition, the novel OBON diradical was also formed on photolysis in high-concentration NO experiments.

OCBBCO: a neutral molecule with some boron-boron triple bond character.

Molecules that contain boron-boron multiple bonds are extremely rare due to the electron-deficient nature of boron. Here we report experimental and theoretical evidence of a neutral OCBBCO molecule with some boron-boron triple bond character. The molecule was produced and unambiguously characterized by matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. Quantum chemical calculations indicate that the molecule has a linear singlet ground state with a very short boron-boron bond length.