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At least 487 records · Page 27

Conversion of dicarboxylic acids to monomers and plasticizers

The present disclosure relates to a composition that includes a first repeat unit defined by where R includes a first hydrocarbon chain that includes at least one olefinic bond, R5 includes a second hydrocarbon chain, the second hydrocarbon chain may be saturated, and n may be between 2 and 1,000.

Rorrer, Nicholas↗

Catalysts and process for liquid hydrocarbon fuel production

The present invention provides a novel process and system in which a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen synthesis gas, or syngas, is converted into hydrocarbon mixtures composed of high quality gasoline components, aromatic compounds, and lower molecular weight gaseous olefins in one reactor or step. The invention utilizes a novel molybdenum-zeolite catalyst in high pressure hydrogen for conversion, as well as a novel rhenium-zeolite catalyst in place of the molybdenum-zeolite catalyst, and provides for use of the novel catalysts in the process and system of the invention.

White, Mark G.↗

Gas phase ozone-mediated selective oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes

Improved methods of oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of alkanes and alkylbenzenes to the corresponding olefins are disclosed. The disclosed methods use ozone (O 3 ) to mediate the oxidative dehydrogenation reaction with high selectivity for the desired product, and no heterogeneous ODH catalyst is needed.

Hermans, Ive↗

Use of latent metathesis polymerization systems for photopolymerization-based additive manufacturing

Photolatent olefin metathesis catalysts can be used in combination with metathesis-active monomers or resins for photopolymerization-based additive manufacturing via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). A variety of alternative catalysts and photosensitizers are commercially available that allows for tuning of thermomechanical properties, potlifes, activation rates, and irradiation wavelengths. As an example, two optimized catalyst/photosensitizer systems were demonstrated in the rapid stereolithographic printing of complex, multidimensional poly-dicyclopentadiene structures with microscale features under ambient conditions.

Leguizamon, Samuel↗

Isomeric effects on the reactivity of branched alkenes: An experimental and kinetic modeling study of methylbutenes

Here, a detailed experimental study of the low-to-intermediate temperature combustion of methylbutene isomers, i.e., branched C 5 alkenes, has been undertaken with multiple experimental facilities. Ignition delay times were measured at equivalence ratios 0.5–2.0, 685–1020 K and up to 45 bar condition from two rapid compression machines and showed slight deviation from an Arrhenius behavior for all three isomers, while their reactivity order differs as temperature changes. Sampled intermediates formed during the oxidation process of mixtures at 900–1150 K and 0.82 bar from a flow reactor and at 730 K and 20 bar from a rapid compression machine were analyzed using gas chromatography techniques. Trends in the formation and consumption of sampled intermediates were modeled using a kinetic model developed in this work for all three isomers. Rate of production and sensitivity analyses emphasize the role of double bond-specific reactions governing the global reactivity of these fuels. Additional studies of the addition reactions of HO 2 radicals to the double bond and to allylic radicals may improve the model performance.

2-Methyl-1-butene↗

Reactivity of Iridium Complexes of a Triphosphorus-Pincer Ligand Based on a Secondary Phosphine. Catalytic Alkane Dehydrogenation and the Origin of Extremely High Activity

The selective functionalization of alkanes and alkyl groups is a major goal of chemical catalysis. Toward this end, a bulky triphosphine with a central secondary phosphino group, bis(2-di-t-butyl-phosphinophenyl)phosphine ( tBu P H PP), has been synthesized. When complexed to iridium, it adopts a meridional (“pincer”) configuration. The secondary phosphino H atom can undergo migration to iridium to give an anionic phosphido-based–pincer ( tBu PPP) complex. Stoichiometric reactions of the ( tBu PPP)Ir complexes reflect a distribution of steric bulk around the iridium center in which the coordination site trans to the phosphido group is quite crowded; one coordination site cis to the phosphido is even more crowded; and the remaining site is particularly open. The ( tBu PPP)Ir precursors are the most active catalysts reported to date for dehydrogenation of n-alkanes, by about 2 orders of magnitude. The electronic properties of the iridium center are similar to that of well-known analogous ( R PCP)Ir catalysts. Accordingly, DFT calculations predict that ( tBu PPP)Ir and ( tBu PCP)Ir are, intrinsically, comparably active for alkane dehydrogenation. While dehydrogenation by ( R PCP)Ir proceeds through an intermediate trans-(PCP)IrH 2 (alkene), ( tBu PPP)Ir follows a pathway proceeding via cis-(PPP)IrH 2 (alkene), thereby circumventing unfavorable placement of the alkene at the bulky site trans to phosphorus. ( tBu PPP)Ir and ( tBu PCP)Ir, however, have analogous resting states: square planar (pincer)Ir(alkene). Alkene coordination at the crowded trans site is therefore unavoidable in the resting states. Furthermore, the resting state of the ( tBu PPP)Ir catalyst is destabilized by the architecture of the ligand, and this is largely responsible for its unusually high catalytic activity.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Overcoming Fundamental Limitations in Adsorbent Design: Alkene Adsorption by Non-porous Copper(I) Complexes

Purifying alkenes from alkanes requires cryogenic distillation. This consumes energy equivalent to countries of ca. 5 million people. Replacing distillation with adsorption processes would significantly increase energy efficiency. Trade-offs between kinetics, selectivity, capacity, and heat of adsorption have prevented production of an optimal adsorbent. Here, we report adsorbents that overcome these trade-offs. [Cu-Br] 3 and [Cu-H] 3 are air-stable trinuclear complexes that undergo reversible solid-state inter-molecular rearrangements to produce dinuclear [Cu-Br∙(alkene)] 2 and [Cu-H∙(alkene)] 2 . The reversible solid-state rearrangement, confirmed in situ using powder X-ray diffraction, allows adsorbent design trade-offs to be overcome, coupling low heat of adsorption (-10 to -17 kJ mol -1 alkene ), high alkene:alkane selectivity (47; 29), and uptake capacity (>2.5 molalkene mol -1 Cu3 ). Most remarkably, [Cu-H] 3 displays fast uptake and regenerates capacity within 10 minutes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Highly Selective Carbon-Supported Boron for Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane

Bulk boron materials, such as hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), are highly selective catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP). Previous attempts to improve the productivity of these systems involved the immobilization of boron on silica and resulted in less selective catalysts. Here, we report that acid-treated, activated carbon-supported boron prepared via incipient wetness impregnation with boric acid (B/OAC) exhibits equal propylene selectivity and improved productivity (kg propylene kg cat -1 hr -1 ) as compared to h-BN. Characterization of the fresh and spent catalysts with infrared, Raman, X-ray photoelectron, and solid-state NMR spectroscopies reveals the presence of oxidized/hydrolyzed boron that is clustered on the surface of the support.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Assessment and comparison of ordered & non-ordered supported metal oxide catalysts for upgrading propane to propylene

Propylene is an important chemical feedstock that is largely produced via cracking of oil-derived naphtha. Direct conversion of propane into propylene may be a more attractive alternative. Specifically, propane dehydrogenation (DH) and oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) are promising for this transformation, albeit only DH has been industrially implemented. However, even the best DH catalysts (Pt-based) still suffer from deactivation. VO x - and BO x -based ODH catalysts result in significant over-oxidation and lack a mechanistic understanding. A common challenge in developing these catalysts is the broad distribution of surface species caused by the use of non-ordered catalyst supports. This hampers clear structure-performance correlations. Recent progress in the preparation of well-defined active sites on ordered supports has brought about improved catalysts, as well as fundamental insight into the working mechanism. This review will highlight recent advancements in the development of these catalysts and provide direction on the use of ordered supports for propane upgrading.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Effects of iron carbide crystal phases and dopants on the conversions of CO 2 into ethylene

The density functional theory method was used to investigate the conversions of CO 2 to ethylene formation on two common iron carbide surfaces: Fe 3 C(0 1 0) and Fe 5 C 2 (1 1 1). Based on the structure relaxation of reaction intermediates and the elementary reaction transition states. We deduced the most competitive reaction pathways for ethylene production. The main CO 2 -to-ethylene routes and the competition of side products, CO and CH 4 , are discussed. Our analyses showed that CO 2 conversion is surface structure sensitive, whereas CH 4 and C2+ hydrocarbon formations depend on the reactivity of native C atoms in the carbides. To modify the intrinsic catalyst performance, mixing dopants in Fe catalysts is an effective strategy. Furthermore, we demonstrate that doping Zn and Zr can alter the local electronic structure and enhance CO 2 adsorption on the catalyst surface.

CO2 hydrogenation↗

Sr 2 Fe 2–X Mo X O 6 double perovskites as electrocatalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane: Effect of B-site stoichiometry

The oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ODHE) was investigated using a solid oxide electrocatalytic cell with Sr 2 Fe 2–X Mo X O 6–δ (SFM) double perovskite as the anode electrocatalyst. As shown in the XRD patterns, SFM perovskites maintained their cubic structure upon modifying the B-site ratios of Mo and Fe. Increasing the Mo content of the perovskite structure resulted in a lower water signal intensity at low temperatures in TPR profiles, indicative of moderate oxygen transport through the perovskite structure. Because Mo–O bonds are stronger than Fe–O bonds, the electrical conductivity of SFM perovskites decreased with increasing Mo content. When operated at 100 mA cm –2 , ODHE activity improved four times compared to open circuit voltage, resulting in 16.1% conversion of C 2 H 6 and 83.1% selectivity to C 2 H 4 . It has been demonstrated that oxygen ions provided by perovskite lattices were the key species involved in activating C 2 H 6 based on the in-situ DRIFTS experiments. In conclusion, the SFM perovskite with higher Mo content showed the highest conversion and selectivity due moderate oxygen ion mobility and fast desorption of C 2 H 4 .

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Intrinsic activation energies for ring contraction of allylic cations in zeolites

Cyclic carbocations are important intermediates in zeolite-catalyzed chemistries such as methanol-to-hydrocarbons conversion, naphthenes ring opening, or coke formation. While information about their thermodynamic stability exists, little is known about the kinetics of formation and transformation of cyclic carbocations in zeolites. To fill this knowledge gap, ring contraction of the 1,3,5,5-tetramethylcyclohexenyl cation (C 10 H 17 + ), a representative of 6-membered ring allylic cations, was investigated by in situ UV–vis and IR spectroscopy. Protonic forms of zeolites served as catalysts, at temperatures from 80 °C to 135 °C. Significant oligomerization and hydride transfer in BEA and FAU hampered kinetics analysis, whereas ring contraction dominated in the channels of MOR. The reactant cation, characterized by an electronic absorption at 314 nm and an allylic stretch at 1549 cm −1 , contracted to both a 1,3-alkyl-substituted cyclopentenyl cation (287 nm and 1506 cm −1 ) and a 1,2,3-alkyl-substituted cyclopentenyl cation (297 nm and 1489 cm −1 ). Collection of time-resolved IR spectra and fitting of the intensities with various kinetic models revealed a third transformation, which is expected from thermodynamics: the 1,3-alkyl-substituted cyclopentenyl cation isomerizes to the 1,2,3-alkyl-substituted cyclopentenyl cation. Series of IR spectra recorded at different temperatures delivered intrinsic activation enthalpies (entropies) in MOR of 67 ± 2 kJ mol −1 (−130 ± 6 J mol −1 K −1 ) and 90 ± 3 kJ mol −1 (−70 ± 8 J mol −1 K −1 ) for the contraction to 1,3- and 1,2,3-substituted species, and of 88 ± 5 kJ mol −1 (−84 ± 12 J mol −1 K −1 ) for the isomerization. The findings characterize one path – via contraction of larger rings – to different cyclopentenyl species in zeolites; and the associated, moderate activation energies suggest such transformations contribute to many complex hydrocarbon reaction networks.

Acid catalysis↗

High Activity and Selectivity for Catalytic Alkane–Alkene Transfer (De)hydrogenation by ( tBu PPP)Ir and the Importance of Choice of a Sacrificial Hydrogen Acceptor

The triphosphorus-coordinating pincer iridium fragment ( tBu PPP)Ir was recently reported to be highly active for the catalytic dehydrogenation of n-alkanes. Dehydrogenation is calculated to be highly regioselective for the terminal position of n-alkanes. Here, the extremely high intermolecular selectivity observed in n-alkane/cycloalkane competition experiments supports the prediction of extremely high regioselectivity for dehydrogenation of n-alkanes. The use of sterically unhindered hydrogen acceptors is key to observing the high activity of the ( tBu PPP)Ir fragment. 4,4-Dimethylpent-1-ene (TBP) is found to be particularly convenient for this purpose. With the commonly used hydrogen acceptor 3,3-dimethylbut-1-ene (TBE), ( tBu PPP)Ir affords n-alkane dehydrogenation at a rate no different than that obtained with the well-known fragment ( iPr PCP)Ir. However, with the use of TBP as acceptor, ( tBu PPP)Ir shows much greater activity for n-alkane transfer dehydrogenation than previously reported catalysts, affording appreciable rates even at 50 °C, an unprecedentedly low temperature for catalytic alkane transfer dehydrogenation. Also critical to the identification of ( tBu PPP)Ir as a highly effective catalyst is the use of n-alkane substrate rather than the commonly used “model” dehydrogenation substrate, cyclooctane, with which dehydrogenation rates are much lower than those with n-alkanes.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗

Carbon Nanosphere-Encapsulated Fe Core–Shell Structures for Catalytic CO 2 Hydrogenation

In this work, we synthesized a unique carbon nanosphere (CNS)-encapsulated Fe core–shell catalyst (CNS–Fe) for CO 2 hydrogenation. The synthesized CNS–Fe catalyst exhibited a core–shell structure with a core of ca. 40 nm containing iron species and a shell thickness of ca. 10 nm composed of mainly graphitic carbon. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the fresh and spent CNS–Fe catalysts and reveal a mixture of Fe 3 O 4 , metallic Fe, and Fe 5 C 2 in the core and graphitic carbon as the shell with defect sites. Hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction, X-ray absorption near-edge structure, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure for the fresh CNS–Fe confirmed the composition of the iron species encapsulated in the CNS. The catalytic performance of CNS–Fe was investigated at ambient pressure for CO2 hydrogenation with hydrocarbons (CH 4 , C 2 –C 4 = , C 2 –C 4 0 ), and CO was observed as the main product.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗