Determination of concentration of basic sites on oxides by IR spectroscopy.

As it is commonly known, CO reacts simultaneously with basic O and basic OH sites on oxides forming carbonates and bicarbonates, which can be followed by infrared spectroscopy (IR). However, here, we succeeded to elaborate experimental conditions under which CO reacted solely with O forming CO for ZrO and CeO, and calculated the extinction coefficients of diagnostic bands of carbonate and bicarbonate species. For the first time, the developed IR method enabled the concentrations of O and basic OH for ZrO, CeO, AlO and CuO to be measured separately.

Ethoxy Groups on ZrO, CuO, CuO/ZrO AlO, GaO, SiO and NiO: Formation and Reactivity.

The reaction of ethanol with surface OH groups on ZrO, CuO/ZrO, CuO, AlO, GaO, NiO, and SiO was studied by IR spectroscopy. The basicity of oxides was followed by CO adsorption, and their ability to oxidize was investigated by H-TPR. It has been found that ethanol reacts with surface OH groups forming ethoxy groups and water.

IR Studies of Ethoxy Groups on CeO.

The reaction of ethanol with a surface of CeO was studied using IR spectroscopy. In some experiments, CeO was pretreated in a vacuum at 820 K which caused a partial reduction. In other experiments, CeO was reduced with hydrogen at 770 K.

Ethoxy Groups on ZrO, CuO, and CuO/ZrO Studied by IR Spectroscopy.

The formation, properties, decomposition and reactions of ethoxy groups on ZrO, CuO, and CuO/ZrO were followed by IR spectroscopy. The reaction of ethanol with terminal Zr-OH groups leads to the formation of monodendate ethoxy groups (type I), whereas the reaction of ethanol with tribridged Zr-OH grups results in the formation of bidendate ethoxyls (type II). In both cases, water is produced.

Modulation of ODH Propane Selectivity by Zeolite Support Desilication: Vanadium Species Anchored to Al-Rich Shell as Crucial Active Sites.

The commercially available zeolite HY and its desilicated analogue were subjected to a classical wet impregnation procedure with NHVO to produce catalysts differentiated in acidic and redox properties. Various spectroscopic techniques (in situ probe molecules adsorption and time-resolved propane transformation FT-IR studies, XAS, V MAS NMR, and 2D COS UV-vis) were employed to study speciation, local coordination, and reducibility of the vanadium species introduced into the hierarchical faujasite zeolite. The acid-based redox properties of V centres were linked to catalytic activity in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane.

The Properties of Cu Ions in Zeolites CuY Studied by IR Spectroscopy.

The properties of both Cu and Cu ions in zeolite CuY were followed with NO and CO as probe molecules. Cu was found to be located in S, S, and S sites, whereas Cu was found in S and S sites. The fine analysis of the spectra of Cu-NO and Cu-CO adducts suggests that both in S and in S sites two kinds of Cu cations exist.

Substituted Phthalic Anhydrides from Biobased Furanics: A New Approach to Renewable Aromatics.

A novel route for the production of renewable aromatic chemicals, particularly substituted phthalic acid anhydrides, is presented. The classical two-step approach to furanics-derived aromatics via Diels-Alder (DA) aromatization has been modified into a three-step procedure to address the general issue of the reversible nature of the intermediate DA addition step. The new sequence involves DA addition, followed by a mild hydrogenation step to obtain a stable oxanorbornane intermediate in high yield and purity.