Spatial intimacy of binary active-sites for selective sequential hydrogenation-condensation of nitriles into secondary imines

Precisely controlling the spatial intimacy of multiple active sites at sub-nanoscale in heterogeneous catalysts can improve their selectivity and activity. Herein, we realize a highly selective nitrile-to-secondary imine transformation through a cascaded hydrogenation and condensation process by Pt1/CoBOx comprising the binary active sites of the single-dispersed Pt and interfacial Lewis acidic B. Atomic Pt sites with large inter-distances (>nanometers) only activate hydrogen for nitrile hydrogenation, but inhibit condensation. Both adjacent B…B on CoBOx and neighbouring Pt…B pairs with close intimacy of ~0.45 nm can satisfy the spatial prerequisites for condensation. Mechanism investigations demonstrate the energetically favorable pathway occurred on adjacent Lewis acidic B sites through the nitrile adsorption (acid-base interaction), hydrogenation via hydrogen spillover from Pt to B sites and sequential condensation. Strong intermolecular tension and steric hindrance of secondary imines on active sites lead to their effective desorption and thereby a high chemoselectivity of secondary imines.

SPECIFIC NATURE OF ACID-BASE INTERACTION OF OCTA(4-TERT-BUTYLPHENYL)TETRAPYRAZINOPORPHYRAZINE WITH ORGANIC PROTON-ACCEPTOR MOLECULES IN BENZENE

The reaction of acid-base interaction of octa(4-tert-butylphenyl)tetrapyrazinophosphyrazine with pyridine, 2-methylpyridine, morhpoline, pipyridine, n-butylamine, tert-butylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine and dimethylsulfoxide in benzene was investigated. It is shown that the researched porphyrazine forms kinetically stable proton transfer complexes with pyridine, 2-methylpyridine, morpholine and dimethylsulfoxide. In benzene-base system an acid-base equilibrium between the molecular form of octa(4-tert-butylphenyl)tetrapyrazinoporphyrazine and its proton transfer complex was established. The interaction of substituted tetrapyrazinoporphyrazine with morpholine in benzene was revealed to be a kinetically controllable process which occurs with low reaction rate and high values of activation energy. Such values are not inherent to most of relatively simple liquid-phase acid-base systems. The kinetic equation of the process was found, and, based on the spectral changes accompanying the reaction, a cheme of two-stage process of proton transfer of NH-groups of octa(4-tert-butylphenyl)tetrapyrazinoporphyrazine to morpholine in benzene was proposed. A possible structure of proton transfer complex of octa(4-tert-butylphenyl)tetrapyrazinoporphyrazine with organic bases is shown. In these complexes the inner hydrogen atoms of the cycle, bonded with base molecules, lie under and above the plane of the molecule, and the proton transfer from acid to base is limited either by the H-complex or the ion-ion associates constituting an H-bonded ion pair. Depending on the proton accepting tendency of the base, the acid-base equilibrium can shift towards or away from the more or less polarized structure. It was revealed that in benzene - n-butylamine (tri-butylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, pipyridine) system the acid-base interaction involving octa(4- tert-butylphenyl)tetrapyrazinoporphyrazine occurs incredibly fast, with rates not measurable by standard spectrophotography methods. The forming proton transfer complexes are highly labile due to concurrent proton reaction occurring, leading to the formation of dianion form of octa(4- tert-butylphenyl)tetrapyrazinoporphyrazine. This form undergoes spontaneous dissolution into low-molecular colorless products due to the lack of compensation of excess charge in the macrocycle.

Evaluation of the dispersion of metakaolin–graphene oxide hybrid in water and cement pore solution: can metakaolin really improve the dispersion of graphene oxide in the calcium-rich environment of hydrating cement matrix?

The aggregation mechanism of an MK–GO hybrid in the pH range of 10–11 due to the surface complexation between Al(OH)4− formed by MK dissolution and the graphene layer of GO through Lewis acid–base interaction.

The Bonding Mechanism of the Micro-Interface of Polymer Coated Steel

As food and beverages require more and more green and safe packaging products, the emergence of polymer coated steel (PCS) has been promoted. PCS is a layered composite strip made of metal and polymer. To probe the bonding mechanism of PCS micro-interface, the substrate tin-free steel (TFS) was physically characterized by SEM and XPS, and cladding polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was simulated by first-principles methods of quantum mechanics (QM). We used COMPASS force field for molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. XPS pointed out that the element composition of TFS surface coating is Cr(OH)3, Cr2O3 and CrO3. The calculation results of MD and QM indicate that the chromium oxide and PET molecules compound in the form of acid-base interaction. The binding energies of Cr2O3 (110), (200), and (211) with PET molecules are −13.07 eV, −2.74 eV, and −2.37 eV, respectively. We established a Cr2O3 (200) model with different hydroxyl concentrations. It is proposed that the oxygen atom in C=O in the PET molecule combines with –OH on the surface of TFS to form a hydrogen bond. The binding energy of the PCS interface increases with the increase of the surface hydroxyl concentration of the TFS. It provides theoretical guidance and reference significance for the research on the bonding mechanism of PCS.