Theoretical Analysis of the Influence of Pore Geometry on Monomolecular Cracking and Dehydrogenation of n -Butane in Brønsted Acidic Zeolites
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Van der Mynsbrugge, Jeroen↗
Engineering topics
Bell, Alexis T.
Publications and source records attributed to Bell, Alexis T..
Kinetics of hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis of 2,5-dimethylfuran over noble metals catalysts under mild conditions
Ketones, derived via the selective ring-opening hydrogenation of biomass-derived furanic compounds, are useful synthons for the production of fuels and lubricant. In this study, 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) was used as a model to investigate the liquid-phase hydrogenation of substituted furans over noble metals. The activity and selectivity of carbon-supported Pt, Pd, Rh, and Ru were compared under identical conditions. Pt/C exhibited the highest activity and selectivity for C—O bond hydrogenolysis, whereas all other catalysts exhibited a high selectivity for ring hydrogenation to form 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran. The reaction kinetics were measured in detail for liquid-phase hydrogenation of DMF over Pt/C, under conditions that excluded the effects of internal or external mass transfer (333 K–363 K, p H2 = 0.41–0.69 MPa). A reaction mechanism is proposed to explain the parallel formation of 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran, 2-hexanone, and 2-hexanol. This mechanism is consistent with what is known about the adsorption of DMF on Pt, and explains why ring opening occurs directly from adsorbed DMF and not via secondary reaction of 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran. The kinetics of DMF hydrogenation are well represented by the mechanism and the assumption of non-competitive adsorption of organic species and hydrogen atoms. The step involving C—O bond cleavage of the aromatic ring had the highest activation energy, 45.4 kJ/mol, and is favored over the steps involving C═C bond hydrogenation of the furan ring at elevated temperatures and low p H2 . Finally, the reaction kinetics reveal that DMF hydrogenation can be tuned to produce 2-hexanone with 92% selectivity at 100% conversion under relatively mild liquid phase conditions (0.41 MPa, 393 K).
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Identifying the Unique Properties of α-Bi 2 Mo 3 O 12 for the Activation of Propene
In order to understand the remarkable activity of α-Bi 2 Mo 3 O 12 for selective oxidation and ammoxidation of propene, the propene activation ability of four molybdenum-based mixed metal oxides - Bi 2 Mo 3 O 12 , PbMoO 4 , Bi 2 Pb 5 Mo 8 O 32 , and MoO 3 - was investigated using density functional theory. Propene activation is considered to occur via abstraction of a hydrogen atom from the methyl group of physisorbed propene by lattice oxygen. For each material, the apparent activation energy was estimated by summing the heat of adsorption of propene, the C-H bond dissociation energy, and the hydrogen attachment energy (HAE) for hydrogen addition to lattice oxygen; this sum provides a lower bound for the apparent activation energy. It was found that two structural features of oxide surfaces are essential to achieve low activation barriers: under-coordinated surface cation sites enable strong propene adsorption, and suitable 5- or 6-coordinate geometries at molybdenum result in favorable HAEs. The impact of molybdenum coordination on HAE was elucidated by carrying out a molecular orbital analysis using a cluster model of the molybdate unit. This effort revealed that, in 5- and 6-coordinate molybdates, oxygen donor atoms trans to molybdenyl oxo atoms destabilize the molybdate prior to H addition but stabilize the molybdate after H addition, thereby providing an HAE ~15 kcal/mol more favorable than that on 4-coordinate molybdate oxo atoms. Bi 3+ cations in Bi 2 Mo 3 O 12 thus promote catalytic activity by providing both strong adsorption sites for propene and forcing molybdate into 5-coordinate geometries that lead to particularly favorable values of the HAE. (Graph Presented).
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Effects of Pore and Cage Topology on the Thermodynamics of n -Alkane Adsorption at Brønsted Protons in Zeolites at High Temperature
Here, Monte Carlo simulations are used to systematically investigate the effects of structural topology on the thermodynamics of n -alkanes adsorbed at Brønsted protons in zeolites having one-dimensional channel systems. In zeolites without cages, the enthalpy and entropy of adsorption (Δ H ads-H + and Δ S ads-H + ) at fixed pore-limiting diameter (PLD) generally increase (become less negative) as the ratio of the minimum to maximum channel diameter decreases, and are lowest when this ratio equals 1 (corresponding to approximately circular cross sections). The results of a change in diameter ratio on the free energy of adsorption (Δ A ads-H + ) is weak due to the changes in Δ H ads-H + and TΔ S ads-H + largely cancel. The addition of cages having a largest-cavity diameter (LCD) greater than the PLD increases both Δ H ads-H + and Δ S ads-H + . Replacing channels with cages of the same diameter does not change Δ S ads-H + significantly when the PLD is similar to the alkane length but decreases both Δ H ads-H + and Δ A ads-H + because of the greater surface area of cages relative to channels. The selectivity to adsorption via a central C-C bond vs a terminal bond when cages are absent is smallest for PLDs near the alkane length and, when cages are present, is even lower when the LCD exceeds the alkane length. This effect is attributed to more rotation of the alkane in cages vs channels. The results show that Δ A ads-H + at 773 K can be tuned by manipulating a characteristic dimension (LCD, PLD) and topology (e.g., adding cages) simultaneously, in order to circumvent the compensating changes in TΔ S ads-H + and Δ H ads-H + that occur upon changing only one structural parameter.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
A DFT Investigation of the Mechanism of Propene Ammoxidation over α-Bismuth Molybdate
We investigated the mechanisms and energetics for the propene oxidation and ammoxidation occurring on the (010) surface of Bi 2 Mo 3 O 12 using density functional theory (DFT). An energetically feasible sequence of elementary steps for propene oxidation to acrolein, propene ammoxidation to acrylonitrile, and acrolein ammoxidation to acrylonitrile is proposed. Consistent with experimental findings, the rate-limiting step for both propene oxidation and ammoxidation is the initial hydrogen abstraction from the methyl group of propene, which is calculated to have an apparent activation energy of 27.3 kcal/mol. The allyl species produced in this reaction is stabilized as an allyl alkoxide, which can then undergo hydrogen abstraction to form acrolein or react with ammonia adsorbed on under-coordinated surface Bi 3+ cations to form allylamine. Dehydrogenation of allylamine is shown to produce acrylonitrile, whereas reaction with additional adsorbed ammonia leads to the formation of acetonitrile and hydrogen cyanide. The dehydrogenation of allyalkoxide species is found to have a significantly higher activation barrier than reaction with adsorbed ammonia, consistent with the observation that very little acrolein is produced when ammonia is present. Finally, we found that rapid reoxidation of the catalyst surface to release wate the driving force for all reactions involving the cleavage of C-H or N-H bonds, because practically all of these steps are endothermic. (Chemical Equation Presented).
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop
A decade ago, the U.S. chemical industry was in decline. Of the more than 40 chemical manufacturing plants being built worldwide in the mid-2000s with more than $1 billion in capitalization, none were under construction in the United States. Today, as a result of abundant domestic supplies of affordable natural gas and natural gas liquids resulting from the dramatic rise in shale gas production, the U.S. chemical industry has gone from the world’s highest-cost producer in 2005 to among the lowest-cost producers today. The low cost and increased supply of natural gas and natural gas liquids provides an opportunity to discover and develop new catalysts and processes to enable the direct conversion of natural gas and natural gas liquids into value-added chemicals with a lower carbon footprint. The economic implications of developing advanced technologies to utilize and process natural gas and natural gas liquids for chemical production could be significant, as commodity, intermediate, and fine chemicals represent a higher-economic-value use of shale gas compared with its use as a fuel. To better understand the opportunities for catalysis research in an era of shifting feedstocks for chemical production and to identify the gaps in the current research portfolio, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conducted an interactive, multidisciplinary workshop in March 2016. The goal of this workshop was to identify advances in catalysis that can enable the United States to fully realize the potential of the shale gas revolution for the U.S. chemical industry and, as a result, to help target the efforts of U.S. researchers and funding agencies on those areas of science and technology development that are most critical to achieving these advances. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
03 NATURAL GAS↗
Propene Metathesis over Supported Tungsten Oxide Catalysts: A Study of Active Site Formation
A detailed investigation was conducted on the factors influencing the properties of silica-supported tungsten oxide catalysts for propene metathesis. A principal goal of this work was to identify the processes involved in the formation of catalytically active sites. To probe the influence of dispersion, samples were prepared across a range of W loadings using two methods of catalyst preparation: incipient wetness impregnation of amorphous silica and ion exchange of mesoporous SBA-15. The samples were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, UV-vis, Raman, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Catalytic activity was observed to increase with W surface concentration up to the point where WO 3 nanoparticles formed. The catalytic performance of all samples was enhanced 2-fold by pretreatment in He, in comparison to pretreatment in air. In situ characterization of samples pretreated in He by Raman and XAS shows an increase in the relative concentration of isolated dioxo W(6+) species relative to mono-oxo W(6+) species, and in situ XAS data collected during propene metathesis indicated that a similar conversion occurs for air-pretreated samples in the presence of propene. For both air- and He-pretreated catalysts an activation period was observed, during which the activity increased and attained steady-state activity. This period was significantly longer for air-pretreated catalysts and was accompanied by the transient formation of acetone. While acetone was not observed during the much shorter transient of He-pretreated samples, in situ XAS provided evidence of reduction occurring in these samples upon contact with propene. In conclusion, it is also notable that, independent of the manner of catalyst preparation or pretreatment, the rate of propene metathesis is first order in propene and exhibits an activation energy of 200 kJ/mol. A model is proposed to explain why only a fraction of the isolated tungstate species is active for propene metathesis (~5%) and why this fraction increases with increasing concentration of W dispersed on silica.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Quantum Mechanical Screening of Single-Atom Bimetallic Alloys for the Selective Reduction of CO 2 to C 1 Hydrocarbons
Electrocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to energy-rich hydrocarbons such as alkanes, alkenes, and alcohols is a very challenging task. So far, only copper has proven to be capable of such a conversion. Here, we report density functional theory (DFT) calculations combined with the Poisson-Boltzmann implicit solvation model to show that single-atom alloys (SAAs) are promising electrocatalysts for CO 2 reduction to C 1 hydrocarbons in aqueous solution. The majority component of the SAAs studied is either gold or silver, in combination with isolated single atoms, M (M = Cu, Ni, Pd, Pt, Co, Rh, and Ir), replacing surface atoms. We envision that the SAA behaves as a one-pot tandem catalyst: first gold (or silver) reduces CO 2 to CO, and the newly formed CO is then captured by M and is further reduced to C 1 hydrocarbons such as methane or methanol. We studied 28 SAAs, and found about half of them selectively favor the CO 2 reduction reaction over the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. Most of those promising SAAs contain M = Co, Rh, or Ir. The reaction mechanism of two SAAs, Rh@Au(100) and Rh@Ag(100), is explored in detail. Both of them reduce CO 2 to methane but via different pathways. For Rh@Au(100), reduction occurs through the pathway *CO → *CHO → *CHOH → *CH + H 2 O (l) → *CH 2 + H 2 O (l) → *CH 3 + H 2 O (l) → * + H 2 O (l) + CH 4(g) ; whereas, for Rh@Ag(100), the pathway is *CO → *CHO → *CH 2 O→ *OCH 3 → *O + CH 4(g) → *OH + CH 4(g) →* + H 2 O (l) + CH 4(g) . The minimum applied voltages to drive the two electrocatalytic systems are -1.01 and -1.12 V RHE for Rh@Au(100) and Rh@Ag(100), respectively, at which the Faradaic efficiencies for CO 2 reduction to CO are 60% for gold and 90% for silver. This suggests that SAA can efficiently reduce CO 2 to methane with as small as 40% loss to the hydrogen evolution reaction for Rh@Au(100) and as small as 10% for Rh@Ag(100). Lastly, we hope these computational results can stimulate experimental efforts to explore the use of SAA to catalyze CO 2 electrochemical reduction to hydrocarbons.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Effects of Composition and Structure of Mg/Al Oxides on Their Activity and Selectivity for the Condensation of Methyl Ketones
The results of chemical composition and pretreatment on Mg-Al hydrotalcites and alumina-supported MgO were evaluated for the gas-phase, self-condensation reaction of C 3 -C 5 biomass-derived methyl ketones. We demonstrate that the selectivity toward the acyclic dimer enone and the cyclic enone trimer can be tuned by controlling the temperature of hydrotalcite calcination. Methyl ketone cyclization is promoted by Lewis acidic sites present on the hydrotalcite catalysts. XRD and thermal decomposition analysis reveal that the formation of periclase MgO starts above 623 K accompanied by complete disappearance of the hydrotalcite structure and is accompanied by an increase in hydroxyl condensation as the formation of well-crystallized periclase. 27 Al MQMAS and 25 Mg MAS NMR show that at progressively higher temperatures, Al 3+ cations diffuses out of the octahedral brucite layers and incorporate into the tetrahedral and octahedral sites of the MgO matrix thereby creating defects to compensate the excess positive charge generated. The oxygen anions adjacent to the Mg 2+ /Al 3+ defects become coordinatively unsaturated, leading to the formation of new basic sites. A kinetic isotope effect, k H / k D = 0.96, is observed at 473 K for the reaction of (CH 3 ) 2 CO versus (CD 3 ) 2 CO, which suggests that carbon-carbon bond formation leading to the dimer aldol product is the rate-determining step in the condensation reaction of methyl ketones. Furthermore, we show that acid-base catalysts having similar reactivity and higher hydrothermal stability to that of calcined hydrotalcites can be achieved by creating defects in MgO crystallites supported alumina as a consequence of the diffusion of Al 3+ cations into MgO. The physical properties of these materials are shown to be very similar to those of hydrotalcite calcined at 823 K.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Hydrolysis of Electrolyte Cations Enhances the Electrochemical Reduction of CO 2 over Ag and Cu
Electrolyte cation size is known to influence the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 over metals; however, a satisfactory explanation for this phenomenon has not been developed. In this paper, we report that these effects can be attributed to a previously unrecognized consequence of cation hydrolysis occurring in the vicinity of the cathode. With increasing cation size, the pK a for cation hydrolysis decreases and is sufficiently low for hydrated K + , Rb + , and Cs + to serve as buffering agents. Buffering lowers the pH near the cathode, leading to an increase in the local concentration of dissolved CO 2 . Finally, the consequences of these changes are an increase in cathode activity, a decrease in Faradaic efficiencies for H 2 and CH 4 , and an increase in Faradaic efficiencies for CO, C 2 H 4 , and C 2 H 5 OH, in full agreement with experimental observations for CO 2 reduction over Ag and Cu.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Effects of temperature and gas–liquid mass transfer on the operation of small electrochemical cells for the quantitative evaluation of CO 2 reduction electrocatalysts
In the last few years, there has been increased interest in electrochemical CO 2 reduction (CO2R). Many experimental studies employ a membrane separated, electrochemical cell with a mini H-cell geometry to characterize CO2R catalysts in aqueous solution. This type of electrochemical cell is a mini-chemical reactor and it is important to monitor the reaction conditions within the reactor to ensure that they are constant throughout the study. Here we show that operating cells with high catalyst surface area to electrolyte volume ratios (S/V) at high current densities can have subtle consequences due to the complexity of the physical phenomena taking place on electrode surfaces during CO2R, particularly as they relate to the cell temperature and bulk electrolyte CO 2 concentration. Both effects were evaluated quantitatively in high S/V cells using Cu electrodes and a bicarbonate buffer electrolyte. Electrolyte temperature is a function of the current/total voltage passed through the cell and the cell geometry. Even at a very high current density, 20 mA cm -2 , the temperature increase was less than 4 °C and a decrease of < 10% in the dissolved CO 2 concentration is predicted. In contrast, limits on the CO 2 gas-liquid mass transfer into the cells produce much larger effects. By using the pH in the cell to measure the CO 2 concentration, significant undersaturation of CO 2 is observed in the bulk electrolyte, even at more modest current densities of 10 mA cm -2 . Undersaturation of CO 2 produces large changes in the faradaic efficiency observed on Cu electrodes, with H 2 production becoming increasingly favored. Finally, we show that the size of the CO 2 bubbles being introduced into the cell is critical for maintaining the equilibrium CO 2 concentration in the electrolyte, and we have designed a high S/V cell that is able to maintain the near-equilibrium CO 2 concentration at current densities up to 15 mA cm -2 .
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Theoretical Study of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic Acid Synthesis from Ethylene and 5-(Hydroxymethyl)furoic Acid Catalyzed by Sn-BEA
A sustainable route has been confirmed for the production of terephthalic acid (PTA) from 5-(hydroxymethyl)furoic acid (HMFA) and ethylene, both of which can be derived from biomass. This process starts with the production of 4-(hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (HMBA) from HMFA and ethylene catalyzed by Sn-BEA. The subsequent oxidation of HMBA leads to PTA. Our research introduces the results of a detailed computational investigation of the mechanism of HMBA synthesis from ethylene and HMFA mediated by Sn-BEA. Density functional theory calculations show that the formation of HMBA proceeds via Diels-Alder cycloaddition of HMFA and ethylene, which is rate-limiting, followed by Lewis acid-catalyzed dehydration. The solution-phase reaction and six different pathways in Sn-BEA, including one pathway on the Si site and five different pathways on the Sn site, are investigated for the Diels-Alder cycloaddition of HMFA and ethylene. Energy decomposition analysis (EDA) reflects that the Sn site stabilizes the transition state of the Diels-Alder reaction electrostatically instead of facilitating charge transfer between HMFA and ethylene. Therefore, the preferred pathway for the Diels-Alder reaction starts with binding HMFA to the Sn site by the carbonyl oxygen, which is the configuration that maximizes electrostatic interactions between substrates and the catalyst in the transition state. The effect of substituting Sn in the active site by Zr and Ti was examined and the highest reaction barriers were for the Ti sites. Using EDA, we found that though the barriers of the Sn and Zr site are comparable, the individual contributing effects are different: lower energy penalty associated with distortion of the geometry of the Zr site overcomes less favorable electrostatic and charge transfer effects compared to the Sn site.
catalysis↗
Effects of Lewis acidity of metal oxide promoters on the activity and selectivity of Co-based Fischer–Tropsch synthesis catalysts
Metal oxides of Ce, Gd, La, Mn, and Zr were investigated as promoters for improving the activity and selectivity of Co-based FTS catalysts. The extent to which these promoters decrease the selectivity toward CH 4 and increase the selectivity toward C 5+ hydrocarbons was found to depend on both the loading and the composition of the oxide promoter. Elemental mapping by STEM–EDS revealed that the propensity for a given metal oxide to associate with Co affects the sensitivity of the product distribution to changes in promoter loading. For all promoters, a sufficiently high loading resulted in the product distributions becoming insensitive to further increases in promoter loading, very likely due to the formation of a half monolayer of promoter oxide over the Co surface. Simulations suggest that the fraction of Co active sites that are adjacent to the promoter moieties approaches unity at this degree of coverage. The oxidation state of the promoter metal cation under reaction conditions, determined by in situ XANES measurements, was used to calculate relative Lewis acidity of the promoter metal cation. A strong positive correlation was found between the C 5+ product selectivity and the Lewis acidity of the promoter metal cations, suggesting that the promotional effects are a consequence of Lewis acid–base interactions between the reaction intermediates and the promoter metal cations. Rate data obtained at different pressures were used to estimate the apparent rate coefficient and the CO adsorption constant appearing in the Langmuir–Hinshelwood expression that describes the CO consumption kinetics for both unpromoted and the metal oxide-promoted catalysts. Both parameters exhibited positive correlations with the promoter Lewis acidity. In conclusion, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that the metal cations of the promoter act as Lewis acids that interact with the O atom of adsorbed CO to facilitate CO adsorption and dissociation.
Johnson, Gregory R.↗
Ga[OSi(O t Bu) 3 ] 3 ·THF, a thermolytic molecular precursor for high surface area gallium-containing silica materials of controlled dispersion and stoichiometry
The molecular precursor tris[(tri-tert-butoxy)siloxy]gallium, as the tetrahydrofuran adduct Ga[OSi(OtBu) 3 ] 3 ·THF (1), was synthesized via the salt metathesis reaction of gallium trichloride with NaOSi(OtBu) 3 . This complex serves as a model for isolated gallium in a silica framework. Complex 1 decomposes thermally in hydrocarbon solvent, eliminating isobutylene, water, and tert-butanol to generate high surface area gallium-containing silica at low temperatures. When thermal decomposition was performed in the presence of P-123 Pluronic as a templating agent the generated material displayed uniform vermicular pores. Textural mesoporosity was evident in untemplated material. Co-thermolysis of 1 with HOSi(OtBu) 3 in the presence of P-123 Pluronic led to materials with Ga:Si ratios ranging from 1:3 to 1:50, denoted UCB1-GaSi 3 , UCB1-GaSi 10 , UCB1-GaSi 20 and UCB1-GaSi 50 . After calcination at 500 °C these materials exhibited decreasing surface areas and broadening pore distributions with increasing silicon content, indicating a loss of template effects. The position and dispersion of the gallium in UCB1-GaSi materials was investigated using 71 Ga MAS-NMR, powder XRD, and STEM/EDS elemental mapping. The results indicate a high degree of gallium dispersion in all samples, with gallium oxide clusters or oligomers present at higher gallium content.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Operando Analyses of Solar Fuels Light Absorbers and Catalysts
Operando synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy in the tender X-ray energy range has been used to obtain information on the energy-band relations of semiconductor and metal-covered semiconductor surfaces while in direct contact with aqueous electrolytes under potentiostatic control. The system that was investigated consists of highly doped Si substrates that were conformally coated with ~70 nm titania films produced by atomic-layer deposition. TiO 2 /electrolyte and Si/TiO 2 /Ni/electrolyte interfaces were then analyzed by synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy. The PES data allows for determination of the flat-band position and identification of potential regions in which Fermi level pinning, depletion, or accumulation occurred. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) techniques were additionally used to investigate the properties of heterogeneous electrocatalysts for the oxygen-evolution reaction. Operando XAS including the pre-edge, edge and EXAFS regions allowed the development of a detailed picture of the catalysts under operating conditions, and elucidated the changes in the physical and electronic structure of the catalyst that accompanied increases in the applied potential. Specifically, XAS data, combined with DFT studies, indicated that the activity of the electrocatalyst correlated with the formation of Fe dopant sites in γ-NiOOH.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Growth of encapsulating carbon on supported Pt nanoparticles studied by in situ TEM
Carbon deposition on MgO-supported Pt nanoparticles from ethylene decomposition was explored by in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at the atomic level. An imaging strategy was established for controlling beam-gas-sample interactions that minimizes beam-induced changes of the reaction. Using this strategy, it was possible to observe how carbon encapsulation occurs on Pt nanoparticles and the role of the Pt surface morphology. The evidence indicates that multiple partial layers grew simultaneously prior to full encapsulation of the nanoparticle. The growth of carbon on Pt nanoparticles was discovered to induce significant changes in the nanoparticle shape, resulting in particles becoming rounder as coking progressed. Closer examination of the surface structure revealed that in some cases carbon growth induced step formation.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Thermodynamics of Anharmonic Systems: Uncoupled Mode Approximations for Molecules
The partition functions, heat capacities, entropies, and enthalpies of selected molecules were calculated using uncoupled mode (UM) approximations, where the full-dimensional potential energy surface for internal motions was modeled as a sum of independent one-dimensional potentials for each mode. The computational cost of such approaches scales the same with molecular size as standard harmonic oscillator vibrational analysis using harmonic frequencies (HO hf ). To compute thermodynamic properties, a computational protocol for obtaining the energy levels of each mode was established. The accuracy of the UM approximation depends strongly on how the one-dimensional potentials of each modes are defined. If the potentials are determined by the energy as a function of displacement along each normal mode (UM-N), the accuracies of the calculated thermodynamic properties are not significantly improved versus the HO hf model. Significant improvements can be achieved by constructing potentials for internal rotations and vibrations using the energy surfaces along the torsional coordinates and the remaining vibrational normal modes, respectively (UM-VT). For hydrogen peroxide and its isotopologs at 300 K, UM-VT captures more than 70% of the partition functions on average. By con trast, the HO hf model and UM-N can capture no more than 50%. For a selected test set of C2 to C8 linear and branched alkanes and species with different moieties, the enthalpies calculated using the HO hf model, UM-N, and UM-VT are all quite accurate comparing with reference values though the RMS errors of the HO model and UM-N are slightly higher than UM-VT. However, the accuracies in entropy calculations differ significantly between these three models. For the same test set, the RMS error of the standard entropies calculated by UM-VT is 2.18 cal mol -1 K -1 at 1000 K. By contrast, the RMS error obtained using the HO model and UM-N are 6.42 and 5.73 cal mol -1 K -1 , respectively. For a test set composed of nine alkanes ranging from C5 to C8, the heat capacities calculated with the UM-VT model agree with the experimental values to within a RMS error of 0.78 cal mol -1 K -1 , which is less than one-third of the RMS error of the HO hf (2.69 cal mol -1 K -1) and UM-N (2.41 cal mol -1 K -1) models.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
From Sugars to Wheels: The Conversion of Ethanol to 1,3-Butadiene over Metal-Promoted Magnesia-Silicate Catalysts
1,3-Butadiene (1,3-BD) is a high-value chemical intermediate used mainly as a monomer for the production of synthetic rubbers. The ability to source 1,3-BD from biomass is of considerable current interest because it offers the potential to reduce the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) impact associated with 1,3-BD production from petroleum-derived naphtha. Here in this paper, we report the development and investigation of a new catalyst and process for the one-step conversion of ethanol to 1,3-BD. The catalyst is prepared by the incipient impregnation of magnesium oxide onto a silica support followed by the deposition of Au nanoparticles by deposition-precipitation. The resulting Au/MgO-SiO 2 catalyst exhibits a high activity and selectivity to 1,3-BD and low selectivities to diethyl ether, ethylene, and butenes. Detailed characterization of the catalyst shows that the desirable activity and selectivity of Au/MgO-SiO 2 are a consequence of a critical balance between the acidic-basic sites associated with a magnesium silicate hydrate phase and the redox properties of the Au nanoparticles. A process for the conversion of ethanol to 1,3-BD, which uses our catalyst, is proposed and analyzed to determine the life-cycle GHG impact of the production of this product from biomass-derived ethanol. We show that 1,3-BD produced by our process can reduce GHG emissions by as much as 155 % relative to the conventional petroleum-based production of 1,3-BD.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗