766-05-2 Identification of an Active NiCu Catalyst for Nitrile Synthesis from Alcohol

Development of heterogeneous catalysts for alcohol transformation into nitriles under oxidant-free conditions is a challenge. Considering the C-H activation on α-carbon of primary alcohols is the rate-determining step, decreasing the activation energy of C-H activation is critical in order to enhance the catalytic activity. Several NiM/Al2O3 bimetallic catalysts were synthesized and scrutinized in catalytic transformation of 1-butanol to butyronitrile. Ni-Cu was identified as a suitable combination with the optimized Ni0.5Cu0.5/Al2O3 catalyst exhibiting 10 times higher turnover frequency than Ni/Al2O3 catalyst. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) revealed that the NiCu particles in the catalyst exist in the form of homogeneous alloys with an average size of 8.3 nm, providing an experimental foundation to build up a catalyst model for further density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Calculations were done over a series of NiM catalysts, and the experimentally observed activity trend could be rationalized by the Br?nsted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) principle, i.e., catalysts that afford reduced reaction energy also feature lower activation barriers. The calculated activation energy (Ea) for C-H activation with coadsorbed NH3 dropped from 63.4 kJ/mol on pure Ni catalyst to 49.9 kJ/mol on the most active NiCu-2 site in NiCu bimetallic catalyst, in good agreement with the experimentally measured activation energy values. The Ni0.5Cu0.5/Al2O3 catalyst was further employed to convert 11 primary alcohols into nitriles with high to near-quantitative yields, at a Ni loading 10 times less than that of the conventional Ni/Al2O3 catalyst. https://www.lookchem.com/CASDataBase_766-05-2.htm

评论

此博客中的热门博文

726-18-1 Electrophilic alkylations in neutral aqueous or alcoholic solutions

102-82-9 Selective Synthesis of Secondary and Tertiary Amines by Reductive N-Alkylation of Nitriles and N-Alkylation of Amines and Ammonium Formate Catalyzed by Ruthenium Complex

1023-17-2 Syntheses, structures, and catalytic activity in Friedel–Crafts acylations of substituted tetramethylcyclopentadienyl molybdenum carbonyl complexes