Molecular structural dataset of lignin macromolecule elucidating experimental structural compositions.

Lignin is one of the most abundant biopolymers in nature and has great potential to be transformed into high-value chemicals. However, the limited availability of molecular structure data hinders its potential industrial applications. Herein, we present the Lignin Structural (LGS) Dataset that includes the molecular structure of milled wood lignin focusing on two major monomeric units (coniferyl and syringyl), and the six most common interunit linkages (phenylpropane β-aryl ether, resinol, phenylcoumaran, biphenyl, dibenzodioxocin, and diaryl ether).

Explaining the structure sensitivity of Pt and Rh for aqueous-phase hydrogenation of phenol.

Phenol is an important model compound to understand the thermocatalytic (TCH) and electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) of biomass to biofuels. Although Pt and Rh are among the most studied catalysts for aqueous-phase phenol hydrogenation, the reason why certain facets are active for ECH and TCH is not fully understood. Herein, we identify the active facet of Pt and Rh catalysts for aqueous-phase hydrogenation of phenol and explain the origin of the size-dependent activity trends of Pt and Rh nanoparticles.

Hydrogen Bonding Enhances the Electrochemical Hydrogenation of Benzaldehyde in the Aqueous Phase.

The hydrogenation of benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol on carbon-supported metals in water, enabled by an external potential, is markedly promoted by polarization of the functional groups. The presence of polar co-adsorbates, such as substituted phenols, enhances the hydrogenation rate of the aldehyde by two effects, that is, polarizing the carbonyl group and increasing the probability of forming a transition state for H addition. These two effects enable a hydrogenation route, in which phenol acts as a conduit for proton addition, with a higher rate than the direct proton transfer from hydronium ions.

Electrochemically Tunable Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer in Pd-Catalyzed Benzaldehyde Hydrogenation.

Acid functionalization of a carbon support allows to enhance the electrocatalytic activity of Pd to hydrogenate benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol proportional to the concentration of Brønsted-acid sites. In contrast, the hydrogenation rate is not affected when H is used as a reduction equivalent. The different responses to the catalyst properties are shown to be caused by differences in the hydrogenation mechanism between the electrochemical and the H -induced hydrogenation pathways.

High Loading of Pd Nanoparticles by Interior Functionalization of MOFs for Heterogeneous Catalysis.

In this report, the issue related to nanoparticle (NP) agglomeration upon increasing their loading amount into metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been addressed by functionalization of MOFs with alkyne groups. The alkynophilicity of the Pd(2+) (or other noble metals) ions has been utilized successfully for significant loading of Pd NPs into alkyne functionalized MOFs. It has been shown here that the size and loading amount of Pd NPs are highly dependent on the surface area and pore width of the MOFs.

A smart approach to achieve an exceptionally high loading of metal nanoparticles supported by functionalized extended frameworks for efficient catalysis.

The problem associated with metal nanoparticle (NP) agglomeration when trying to achieve a high loading amount has been solved by a new method of functionalization of MOFs' pores with terminal alkyne moieties. The alkynophilicity of the Au(3+) ions has been utilized successfully for an exceptionally high loading (∼50 wt%) of Au-NPs on supported functionalized MOFs.

Bimetallic core-shell nanocomposites using weak reducing agent and their transformation to alloy nanostructures.

An in situ seeding growth methodology towards the preparation of core-shell nanoparticles composed of noble metals has been developed by employing trimethylamine borane (TMAB) as the reducing agent. Being a weak reducing agent, TMAB is able to distinguish the smallest reduction potential window of any two metals which renders selective reduction of metal ions thus affording a core-shell architecture of the nanoparticles. A dramatic effect of solvent was noted during the reduction of Ag(+) ions: an immediate reduction took place at room temperature when dry THF was used as solvent however, usage of wet THF (THF used directly from the bottle) brings out the reduction only at reflux conditions.

Metal and alloy nanoparticles by amine-borane reduction of metal salts by solid-phase synthesis: atom economy and green process.

A new solid state synthetic route has been developed toward metal and bimetallic alloy nanoparticles from metal salts employing amine-boranes as the reducing agent. During the reduction, amine-borane plays a dual role: acts as a reducing agent and reduces the metal salts to their elemental form and simultaneously generates a stabilizing agent in situ which controls the growth of the particles and stabilizes them in the nanosize regime. Employing different amine-boranes with differing reducing ability (ammonia borane (AB), dimethylamine borane (DMAB), and triethylamine borane (TMAB)) was found to have a profound effect on the particle size and the size distribution.

Hydrolysis of ammonia borane as a hydrogen source: fundamental issues and potential solutions towards implementation.

In today's era of energy crisis and global warming, hydrogen has been projected as a sustainable alternative to depleting CO(2)-emitting fossil fuels. However, its deployment as an energy source is impeded by many issues, one of the most important being storage. Chemical hydrogen storage materials, in particular B-N compounds such as ammonia borane, with a potential storage capacity of 19.

Chemical synthesis of metal nanoparticles using amine-boranes.

The development of new synthetic strategies to obtain monodisperse metal nanoparticles on large scales is an attractive prospect in the context of sustainability. Recently, amine-boranes, the classical Lewis acid-base adducts, have been employed as reducing agents for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles. They offer several advantages over the traditional reducing agents like the borohydrides; for example, a much better control of the rate of reduction and, hence, the particle size distribution of metal nanoparticles; diversity in their reducing abilities by varying the substituents on the nitrogen atom; and solubility in various protic and aprotic solvents.

Metal nanoparticles via the atom-economy green approach.

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) of Cu (air-stable), Ag, and Au have been prepared using an atom-economy green approach. Simple mechanical stirring of solid mixtures (no solvent) of a metal salt and ammonia borane at 60 degrees C resulted in the formation of metal NPs. In this reaction, ammonia borane is transformed into a BNH(x) polymer, which protects the NPs formed and halts their growth.

Nanostructured Cu and Cu@Cu(2)O core shell catalysts for hydrogen generation from ammonia-borane.

Copper nanoparticles have been prepared by the solvated metal atom dispersion (SMAD) method. Oxidation of the SMAD prepared copper colloids resulted in Cu@Cu(2)O core shell structures (7.7 +/- 1.