Shape-selective sieving layers on an oxide catalyst surface.

New porous materials such as zeolites, metal-organic frameworks and mesostructured oxides are of immense practical utility for gas storage, separations and heterogeneous catalysis. Their extended pore structures enable selective uptake of molecules or can modify the product selectivity (regioselectivity or enantioselectivity) of catalyst sites contained within. However, diffusion within pores can be problematic for biomass and fine chemicals, and not all catalyst classes can be readily synthesized with pores of the correct dimensions.

Influence of task and tool characteristics on scissor skills in typical adults.

To clarify expectations for mature cutting skills and investigate the influences of cutting task and scissor type, we videotaped 60 typical adults cutting three shapes with two different types of scissors. The videotapes were reviewed, and 38 aspects of grasp and cutting motions were rated. Percentages of participants who used a particular grip or cutting motion for each shape with each scissor type were reported and compared.

Etheric C-O bond hydrogenolysis using a tandem lanthanide triflate/supported palladium nanoparticle catalyst system.

Selective hydrogenolysis of cyclic and linear ether C-O bonds is accomplished by a tandem catalytic system consisting of lanthanide triflates and sinter-resistant supported palladium nanoparticles in an ionic liquid. The lanthanide triflates catalyze endothermic dehydroalkoxylation, while the palladium nanoparticles hydrogenate the resulting intermediate alkenols to afford saturated alkanols with high overall selectivity. The catalytic C-O hydrogenolysis is shown to have significant scope, and the C-O bond cleavage is turnover-limiting.

Displacement of hexanol by the hexanoic acid overoxidation product in alcohol oxidation on a model supported palladium nanoparticle catalyst.

This work characterizes the adsorption, structure, and binding mechanism of oxygenated organic species from cyclohexane solution at the liquid/solid interface of optically flat alumina-supported palladium nanoparticle surfaces prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The surface-specific nonlinear optical vibrational spectroscopy, sum-frequency generation (SFG), was used as a probe for adsorption and interfacial molecular structure. 1-Hexanoic acid is an overoxidation product and possible catalyst poison for the aerobic heterogeneous oxidation of 1-hexanol at the liquid/solid interface of Pd/Al(2)O(3) catalysts.