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Hollandite-type α-MnO 2 exhibits exceptional promise in current industrial applications and in advancing next-generation green energy technologies, such as multivalent (Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , and Zn 2+ ) ion battery cathodes and aerobic oxidation catalysts. Considering the slow diffusion of multivalent cations within α-MnO 2 tunnels and the catalytic activity at edge surfaces, ultrasmall α-MnO 2 particles with a lower aspect ratio are expected to unlock the full potential. In this study, ultrasmall α-MnO 2 (<10 nm) with a low aspect ratio (c/a ≈ 2) is synthesized using a newly developed alcohol solution process. This material demonstrates exceptional performance across various multivalent battery systems, primarily due to the significantly reduced cation diffusion distance. Notably, an ultrasmall α-MnO 2 -graphene composite achieves high capacity with low overpotential when paired with an F-free electrolyte in Ca battery. Regarding aerobic oxidation catalysis, the nanosizing of α-MnO 2 has a profound impact on aerobic oxidation catalysis. The increased efficiency of oxidative conversion reactions, such as the oxidation of 1-phenylethanol, is attributed to the greatly expanded active surface area of the catalyst. The versatile functionality of ultrasmall α-MnO 2 underscores its potential to revolutionize energy storage and catalysis, offering broad applicability in next-generation green energy technologies., (© 2025 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Alloying is an effective method for modulating metal nanoclusters to enrich their structural diversity and physicochemical properties. Recent investigations have demonstrated that polyoxometalates (POMs) can act as effective multidentate ligands for silver (Ag) nanoclusters to endow them with synergistic properties, reactivity, catalytic properties, and stability. However, the application of POMs as ligands has been confined predominantly to monometallic nanoclusters. Herein, we report a synthetic method for fabricating surface-exposed gold (Au)-Ag alloy nanoclusters within a ring-shaped POM ([P 8 W 48 O 184 ] 40- ). Reacting an Ag nanocluster stabilized by the ring-shaped POM with Au ions (Au + ) was found to substitute several Ag atoms at the core of the nanocluster with Au atoms. The resultant {Au 8 Ag 26 } alloy nanocluster demonstrated superior photocatalytic activity and stability compared to the pristine Ag nanocluster in the aerobic oxidation of α-terpinene under visible-light irradiation. These findings provide fundamental insights into the formation and catalytic properties of POM-stabilized alloy nanoclusters and advance exploration into the synthesis and applications of diverse metal nanoclusters., (© 2024 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Polyoxometalates (POMs), anionic metal-oxygen nanoclusters that possess various composition-dependent properties, are widely used to modify the existing properties of metal nanoparticles and to endow them with new ones. Herein, we present an overview of recent advances in hybrid materials that consist of metal nanoparticles and POMs. Following a brief introduction on the inception of this area and its development, representative properties and applications of these materials in various fields such as electrochemistry, photochemistry, and catalysis are introduced. We discuss how the combination of two classic inorganic materials facilitates cooperative and synergistic behavior, and we also give personal perspectives on the future development of this field., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Although supported anionic gold nanoparticle catalysts have been theoretically investigated for their efficacy in activating O 2 in aerobic oxidation reactions, limited studies have been reported due to the difficulty of designing these catalysts. Herein, we developed a feasible method for preparing supported anionic gold nanoparticle catalysts using multivacant lacunary polyoxometalates with high negative charges. We confirmed the strong and robust electronic interaction between gold nanoparticles and multivacant lacunary polyoxometalates, and the electronic states of the supported gold nanoparticle catalysts can be sequentially modulated. Particularly, the catalyst prepared using [SiW 9 O 34 ] 10- acted as an efficient reusable heterogeneous catalyst, showing superior catalytic performance for the oxidative dehydrogenation of piperidone derivatives to the corresponding enaminones and remarkably higher stability than supported gold nanoparticle catalysts without this modification., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Nanosized manganese oxides have recently received considerable attention for their synthesis, structures, and potential applications. Although various synthetic methods have been developed, precise synthesis of novel nanostructured manganese oxides are still challenging. In this study, using a structurally defined nanosized cavity inside a ring-shaped polyoxometalate, we succeeded in synthesizing two types of discrete 18 and 20 nuclear nanostructured manganese oxides, Mn18 and Mn20, respectively. In particular, Mn18 showed much higher catalytic activity than other manganese oxides for the oxygenation of alkylarenes including electron-deficient ones, and the reaction proceeded through a unique reaction mechanism due to its unusual manganese oxide structure., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Atomically precise silver (Ag) nanoclusters are promising materials as catalysts, photocatalysts, and sensors because of their unique structures and mixed-valence states (Ag + /Ag 0 ). However, their low stability hinders the in-depth study of their intrinsic reactivity and catalytic property accompanying their redox processes. Herein, we demonstrate that a molecular hybrid of an atomically precise {Ag 27 } 17+ nanocluster and polyoxometalates (POMs) can efficiently cleave H 2 into protons and electrons. The Ag nanocluster accommodates electrons through the redox reaction from {Ag 27 } 17+ to {Ag 27 } 13+ , and the POM ligands play the following important roles: (i) a significant stabilization of the typically unstable Ag nanocluster to preserve its structure during the redox reaction with H 2 , (ii) formation of a unique interface between the Ag nanocluster and metal oxides for efficient H 2 cleavage, and (iii) storage of the generated protons on the negatively charged basic surface., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Polyoxometalates (POMs) have received increasing attention over the last decades for extending their application and properties that originate from novel structures. For the synthesis of a variety of POM structures, multivacant lacunary POMs are key precursors, which are typically synthesized by empirically controlling the complex equilibrium in aqueous solvents. Unfortunately, despite the excellent catalytic and electrochemical properties of "polyoxomolybdates", only one multivacant lacunary species, i.e., [A-α-PMo 9 O 34 ] 9- , has been identified and isolated because multivacant lacunary polyoxomolybdates are typically unstable. Here we report a ligand-directed approach for the selective formation of an unprecedented lacunary polyoxomolybdate in organic solvents. By structure transformation of a pyridine-coordinated [A-α-PMo 9 O 34 ] 9- , a new γ-Keggin-type divacant lacunary polyoxomolybdate [γ-PMo 10 O 36 ] 7- was obtained, which can be further used as a precursor for synthesizing a POM-organic hybrid., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Small Ag n nanoclusters (n<10) have been emerging as promising materials as sensing, biolabeling, and catalysis because of their unique electronic states and optical properties. However, studying synthesis, structure determination, and exploration of their properties remain major challenges as a result of the low stability of small Ag nanoclusters. Herein, we synthesized an atomically precise face-centered-cubic-type small {Ag 7 } 5+ nanocluster supported by a novel triangular hollow polyoxometalate (POM) framework [Si 3 W 27 O 96 ] 18- . The cluster showed unique {Ag 7 } 5+ -to-POM charge transfer bands in both visible and UV light regions. Furthermore, this small {Ag 7 } 5+ nanocluster exhibited an unprecedented ultrastability in solution, despite having exposed Ag sites that can be accessed by small molecules, such as O 2 , water, and solvents., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Methyl-selective α-oxygenation of tertiary amines is a highly attractive approach for synthesizing formamides while preserving the amine substrate skeletons. Therefore, the development of efficient catalysts that can advance regioselective α-oxygenation at the N-methyl positions using molecular oxygen (O 2 ) as the terminal oxidant is an important subject. In this study, we successfully developed a highly regioselective and efficient aerobic methyl-selective α-oxygenation of tertiary amines by employing a Cu/nitroxyl radical catalyst system. The use of moderately hindered nitroxyl radicals, such as 1,5-dimethyl-9-azanoradamantane N-oxyl (DMN-AZADO) and 1-methyl-2-azaadamanane N-oxyl (1-Me-AZADO), was very important to promote the oxygenation effectively mainly because these N-oxyls have longer life-times than less hindered N-oxyls. Various types of tertiary N-methylamines were selectively converted to the corresponding formamides. A plausible reaction mechanism is also discussed on the basis of experimental evidence, together with DFT calculations. The high regioselectivity of this catalyst system stems from steric restriction of the amine-N-oxyl interactions., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Dehydrogenative aromatization is one of the attractive alternative methods for directly synthesizing primary anilines from NH 3 and cyclohexanones. However, the selective synthesis of primary anilines is quite difficult because the desired primary aniline products and the cyclohexanone substrates readily undergo condensation affording the corresponding imines (i.e., N-cyclohexylidene-anilines), followed by hydrogenation to produce N-cyclohexylanilines as the major products. In this study, primary anilines were selectively synthesized in the presence of supported Pd nanoparticle catalysts (e.g., Pd/HAP, HAP=hydroxyapatite, Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 ) by utilizing competitive adsorption unique to heterogeneous catalysis; in other words, when styrene was used as a hydrogen acceptor, which preferentially adsorbs on the Pd nanoparticle surface in the presence of N-cyclohexylidene-anilines, various structurally diverse primary anilines were selectively synthesized from readily accessible NH 3 and cyclohexanones. The Pd/HAP catalyst was reused several times though its catalytic performance gradually declined., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Lacunary polyoxometalates (POMs) are useful rigid multidentate inorganic ligands to construct multinuclear metal oxo clusters and inorganic-organic hybrid materials. However, the use of multivacant lacunary POMs often suffers from their undesired condensation reactions at the highly reactive vacant sites. Herein, the introduction of alkoxy protecting groups into the vacant sites of lacunary POMs in organic media is reported for the first time. By reacting organic solvent-soluble trivacant lacunary Keggin-type POMs with methanol, six methoxy groups were successfully introduced into the vacant sites, resulting in the formation of the alkoxides TBA 4 [A-α-XW 9 O 28 (OCH 3 ) 6 ] (I x -OMe; X=Si, Ge). These methoxy groups could protect the reactive vacant sites and suppress the undesired dimerization reaction into the corresponding α-Dawson-type POMs. Since the introduced monodentate methoxy groups could easily be dissociated by hydrolysis, I Si -OMe could be utilized as the precursor for the synthesis of metal-substituted POMs. In addition, by using pentaerythritol as the multidentate alkoxy ligand, the monomeric alkoxide TBA 4 [A-α-SiW 9 O 28 {(OCH 2 ) 2 C(CH 2 OH) 2 } 3 ] (I Si -PE) was successfully synthesized. In particular, these multidentate alkoxy groups showed high resistance against hydrolysis. Moreover, by reacting I Si -PE with trivacant lacunary Keggin-type POMs, the dimeric inorganic-organic-inorganic hybrid structures TBA n H 8-n [(A-α-SiW 9 O 28 ){(OCH 2 ) 2 C(CH 2 O) 2 } 3 (A-α-XW 9 O 28 )] (II SiX -PE; X=Si, Ge) with the same or different heteroatoms (Si and Ge) were successfully synthesized., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Brucite-type layered metal hydroxides are prepared from diverse metallic elements and have outstanding functions; however, their poor intercalation ability significantly limits their chemical designability and the use of their potentially ultrahigh surface areas and unique properties as two-dimensional nanosheets. Here, we demonstrate that tripodal ligands (RC(CH 2 OH) 3 , R=NH 2 , CH 2 OH, or NHC 2 H 4 SO 3 H) are useful as "one-size-fits-all" modifiers for the direct synthesis of hybrid metal hydroxide nanosheets with various constituent metallic elements (M=Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, or Cu) and surface functional groups. The hybrid nanosheets are formed directly from solution phases, and they are stacked into a turbostratic layered structure. The ligands form tridentate Mg-O-C bonds with brucite layers. The hybrid brucite intercalates various molecules and is exfoliated into nanosheets at room temperature, although the non-modified material does not intercalate any molecules. Consequently, both the constituent metallic elements and surface functional groups are freely designed by the direct synthesis., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The disassembly and reassembly of giant molecules are essential processes in controlling the structure and function of biological and artificial systems. In this work, the disassembly and reassembly of a giant ring-shaped polyoxometalate (POM) without isomerization of the monomeric units is reported. The reaction of a hexavacant lacunary POM that is soluble in organic solvents, [P2 W12 O48 ](14-) , with manganese cations gave the giant ring-shaped POM [{γ-P2 W12 O48 Mn4 (C5 H7 O2 )2 (CH3 CO2 )}6 ](42-) . This POM is a hexamer of manganese-substituted {P2 W12 O48 Mn4 } units, and its inner cavity was larger than any of those previously reported for ring-shaped polyoxotungstates. It was disassembled into monomeric units in acetonitrile, and the removal of the capping organic ligands on the manganese cations led to reassembly into a tetrameric ring-shaped POM, [{γ-P2 W12 O48 Mn4 (H2 O)6 }4 (H2 O)4 ](24-) ., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Although the α-oxygenation of amines is a highly attractive method for the synthesis of amides, efficient catalysts suited to a wide range of secondary and tertiary alkyl amines using O2 as the terminal oxidant have no precedent. This report describes a novel, green α-oxygenation of a wide range of linear and cyclic secondary and tertiary amines mediated by gold nanoparticles supported on alumina (Au/Al2 O3 ). The observed catalysis was truly heterogeneous, and the catalyst could be reused. The present α-oxygenation utilizes O2 as the terminal oxidant and water as the oxygen atom source of amides. The method generates water as the only theoretical by-product, which highlights the environmentally benign nature of the present reaction. Additionally, the present α-oxygenation provides a convenient method for the synthesis of (18) O-labeled amides using H2 (18) O as the oxygen source., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Although stimuli-responsive structural transformations of inorganic materials have attracted considerable attention because of their potential use as functional switchable materials, multinuclear metal cores frequently suffer from unexpected dissociation of metal cations and/or irreversible transformations into infinite structures. In this study, we describe the successful demonstration of the water- and temperature-triggered reversible structural transformation between cubane- and planar-type tetranuclear Co(II) cores sandwiched by polyoxometalates. The arrangements and coordination geometries of the Co(II) cations were interconverted by simple hydration and dehydration, resulting in the manipulation of the magnetic and optical properties of these compounds. Moreover, this system showed unique thermochromism through temperature-dependent reversible structural interconversion., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Flavones are a class of natural products with diverse biological activities and have frequently been synthesized by step-by-step procedures using stoichiometric amounts of reagents. Herein, a catalytic one-pot procedure for the synthesis of flavone and its derivatives is developed. In the presence of gold nanoparticles supported on a Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (Au/LDH), various kinds of flavones can be synthesized starting from 2'-hydroxyacetophenones and benzaldehydes (or benzyl alcohols). The present one-pot procedure consists of a sequence of several reactions, and Au/LDH can catalyze all these different types of reactions. The catalysis is shown to be truly heterogeneous, and Au/LDH can be readily recovered and reused., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

We describe herein the efficient visible-light-responsive polyoxometalate-based multielectron photoredox catalysis induced by in situ coordination of alcohols to the lacuna of TBA4 H4 [γ-SiW10 O36 ] (I, TBA=tetra-n-butylammonium). The coordination of alcohols to the lacuna of I generated a new highest occupied molecular orbital as the electron donor level and enabled the visible-light-responsive multielectron transfer from alcohols to I, which could be utilized for aerobic alcohol oxidation and one-pot synthesis of N-arylimines starting from nitroarenes and primary alcohols., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The development of visible-light-induced photocatalysts for chemoselective functional group transformations has received considerable attention. Polyoxometalates (POMs) are potential materials for efficient photocatalysts because their properties can be precisely tuned by changing their constituent elements and structures and by the introduction of additional metal cations. Furthermore, they are thermally and oxidatively more stable than the frequently utilized organometallic complexes. The visible-light-responsive tetranuclear cerium(III)-containing silicotungstate TBA6[{Ce(H2O)}2{Ce(CH3CN)}2(μ4-O)(γ-SiW10O36)2] (CePOM; TBA=tetra-n-butylammonium) has now been synthesized; when CePOM was irradiated with visible light (λ>400 nm), a unique intramolecular Ce(III)-to-POM(W(VI)) charge transfer was observed. With CePOM, the photocatalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of primary and secondary amines as well as the α-cyanation of tertiary amines smoothly proceeded in the presence of O2 (1 atm) as the sole oxidant., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Although enaminals (β-enaminals) are very important compounds and have been utilized as useful synthons for various important compounds, they have been synthesized through non-green and/or limited procedures until now. Herein, we have successfully developed a green synthetic procedure using a heterogeneous catalyst. In the presence of gold nanoparticles supported on manganese-oxide-based octahedral molecular sieves OMS-2 (Au/OMS-2), dehydrogenative amination of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with amines proceeded efficiently, with the corresponding enaminals isolated in moderate to high yields (50-97 %). The catalysis was truly heterogeneous, and Au/OMS-2 could be reused. Furthermore, the formal Wacker-type oxidation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes to enaminones has been realized., (Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

In the presence of amorphous MnO(2), various methylarenes (even with two or more methyl groups) could be selectively converted into the corresponding primary monoamides in moderate to high yields. The observed catalysis was truly heterogeneous, and the retrieved amorphous MnO(2) catalyst could be reused without an appreciable loss of its catalytic performance., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

In the presence of a manganese oxide based octahedral molecular sieve (OMS-2), a range of primary amides could be synthesized directly from primary alcohols and ammonia. The observed catalysis was heterogeneous, and the recovered catalyst could be reused many times without an appreciable loss of its catalytic performance., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Highly negatively charged heteropolyacids (HPAs), in particular H(5) BW(12) O(40) , efficiently promoted saccharification of crystalline cellulose into water-soluble saccharides in concentrated aqueous solutions (e.g., 82 % total yield and 77 % glucose yield, based on cellulose with a 0.7 M H(5) BW(12) O(40) solution); the performance was much better than those of previously reported systems with commonly utilized mineral acids (e.g., H(2) SO(4) and HCl) and HPAs (e.g., H(3) PW(12) O(40) and H(4) SiW(12) O(40)). Besides crystalline cellulose, the present system was applicable to the selective transformation of cellobiose, starch, and xylan to the corresponding monosaccharides such as glucose and xylose. In addition, one-pot synthesis of levulinic acid and sorbitol directly from cellulose was realized by using concentrated HPA solutions. The present system, concentrated aqueous solutions of highly negatively charged HPAs, was further applicable to saccharification of natural (non-purified) lignocellulose biomass, such as "rice plant straw", "oil palm empty fruit bunch (palm EFB) fiber", and "Japanese cedar sawdust", giving a mixture of the corresponding water-soluble saccharides, such as glucose (main product), galactose, mannose, xylose, arabinose, and cellobiose, in high yields (≥77 % total yields of saccharides based on holocellulose). Separation of the saccharides and H(5) BW(12) O(40) was easy, and the retrieved H(5) BW(12) O(40) could repeatedly be used without appreciable loss of the high performance., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The Sn-W mixed oxide prepared by calcination of the Sn-W mixed hydroxide precursor with a Sn/W molar ratio of 2:1 at 800 °C (SnW2-800) acts as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the hydration of alkynes. Structurally diverse terminal and internal alkynes, including aromatic, aliphatic, and double-bond-containing ones, can be converted into the corresponding ketones in moderate to high yields. The catalytic activity of SnW2-800 is much higher than those of previously reported heterogeneous catalysts and commonly utilized acid catalysts. The observed catalysis was truly heterogeneous, and the retrieved catalyst can be reused at least three times with retention of its high catalytic performance. The reaction rate for the SnW2-800-catalyzed hydration was decreased by addition of 2,6-lutidine and the hydration hardly proceeded in the presence of an equimolar amount of this compound with respect to that of the Brønsted acid sites in SnW2-800. Therefore, the present hydration is mainly promoted by the Brønsted acid sites in SnW2-800., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The N-alkylation of ammonia (or its surrogates, such as urea, NH(4)HCO(3), and (NH(4))(2)CO(3)) and amines with alcohols, including primary and secondary alcohols, was efficiently promoted under anaerobic conditions by the easily prepared and inexpensive supported ruthenium hydroxide catalyst Ru(OH)(x)/TiO(2). Various types of symmetrically and unsymmetrically substituted "tertiary" amines could be synthesized by the N-alkylation of ammonia (or its surrogates) and amines with "primary" alcohols. On the other hand, the N-alkylation of ammonia surrogates (i.e., urea and NH(4)HCO(3)) with "secondary" alcohols selectively produced the corresponding symmetrically substituted "secondary" amines, even in the presence of excess amounts of alcohols, which is likely due to the steric hindrance of the secondary alcohols and/or secondary amines produced. Under aerobic conditions, nitriles could be synthesized directly from alcohols and ammonia surrogates. The observed catalysis for the present N-alkylation reactions was intrinsically heterogeneous, and the retrieved catalyst could be reused without any significant loss of catalytic performance. The present catalytic transformation would proceed through consecutive N-alkylation reactions, in which alcohols act as alkylating reagents. On the basis of deuterium-labeling experiments, the formation of the ruthenium dihydride species is suggested during the N-alkylation reactions.

An easily prepared supported copper hydroxide on titanium oxide (Cu(OH)(x)/TiO(2)) showed high catalytic performance for the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of organic azides to terminal alkynes in non-polar solvents under anaerobic conditions. The reactions of various combinations of organic azides (four examples, including aromatic and aliphatic ones) and terminal alkynes (eleven examples, including aromatic, aliphatic, and double bond-containing ones) exclusively proceeded to give the corresponding 1,4-disubstituted-1,2,3-triazole derivatives in a completely regioselective manner. For the transformation of benzyl azide and ethynylbenzene with 0.12 mol % of Cu(OH)(x)/TiO(2), the turnover frequency was 505 h(-1) and the turnover number reached up to 800. These values were the highest among those with previously reported heterogeneous catalysts including Cu(OH)(x)/Al(2)O(3). The observed catalysis was truly heterogeneous and the retrieved catalyst after the reaction could be reused at least three times with retention of its high catalytic performance. It was confirmed by the UV/Vis spectrum of Cu(OH)(x)/TiO(2) and the amount of diyne formed that the Cu(II) species in Cu(OH)(x)/TiO(2) were reduced to Cu(I) species by the alkyne-alkyne homocoupling at the initial stage of the reaction (during the pretreatment of Cu(OH)(x)/TiO(2) with an alkyne). The catalytic reaction rate for the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition linearly increased with an increase in the amount of in situ generated Cu(I) species. Therefore, the in situ generated Cu(I) species would be the catalytically active species for the present 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition.

The tin-tungsten mixed oxide prepared by the calcination of the tin-tungsten hydroxide precursor with a Sn/W molar ratio of 2 at 800 degrees C (SnW2-800) acts as an effective and reusable solid catalyst for C-C bond-forming reactions, such as the cyclization of citronellal, the Diels-Alder reaction, and the cyanosilylation of carbonyl compounds with trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN). Various kinds of structurally diverse aliphatic, aromatic, and unsaturated, heteroatom-containing substrates could be converted into the desired products in high to excellent yields. The observed catalyses for these reactions were truly heterogeneous and the recovered catalyst could be reused several times without an appreciable loss of its high catalytic performance. The Brønsted acid sites generated on the aggregated polytungstate species on SnW2-800 likely play an important role in the C-C bond-forming reactions.

A supported rhodium hydroxide catalyst, Rh(OH)(x)/Al(2)O(3) (x=3), is prepared by the reaction of Al(2)O(3) with RhCl(3) in an aqueous medium followed by treatment with NaOH. The Rh(III) hydroxide species is monomerically (or highly) dispersed on the Al(2)O(3) support. Rh(OH)(x)/Al(2)O(3) acts as a reusable heterogeneous catalyst in water, rather than in an explosive, hazardous, and carcinogenic organic solvent, for the synthesis of primary amides from aldoximes or aldehydes by an efficient sequential process of dehydration and rehydration. The dehydrative condensation of aldehydes and hydroxylamine is also promoted by the Rh(OH)(x)/Al(2)O(3) catalyst.

Reduction of allylic alcohols can be promoted efficiently by the supported ruthenium catalyst Ru(OH)x/Al2O3. Various allylic alcohols were converted to saturated alcohols in excellent yields by using 2-propanol without any additives. This Ru(OH)x/Al2O3-catalyzed reduction of a dienol proceeds only at the allylic double bond to afford the corresponding enol, and chemoselective isomerization and reduction can be realized under similar conditions. The catalysis is truly heterogeneous and the high catalytic performance can be maintained during at least three recycles of the Ru(OH)x/Al2O3 catalyst. The transformation of allylic alcohols to saturated alcohols consists of three sequential reactions: oxidation of allylic alcohols to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds; reduction of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds to saturated carbonyl compounds; and reduction of saturated carbonyl compounds to saturated alcohols.

Supported ruthenium hydroxide catalysts (Ru(OH)(x)/support) were prepared with three different TiO(2) supports (anatase TiO(2) (TiO(2)(A), BET surface area: 316 m(2) g(-1)), anatase TiO(2) (TiO(2)(B), 73 m(2) g(-1)), and rutile TiO(2) (TiO(2)(C), 3.2 m(2) g(-1))), as well as an Al(2)O(3) support (160 m(2) g(-1)). Characterizations with X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron spin resonance (ESR), and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) showed the presence of monomeric ruthenium(III) hydroxide and polymeric ruthenium(III) hydroxide species. Judging from the coordination numbers of the nearest-neighbor Ru atoms and the intensities of the ESR signals, the amount of monomeric hydroxide species increased in the order of Ru(OH)(x)

The tetra-n-butylammonium (TBA) salt of the divacant Keggin-type polyoxometalate [TBA](4)[gamma-SiW(10)O(34)(H(2)O)(2)] (I) catalyzes the oxygen-transfer reactions of olefins, allylic alcohols, and sulfides with 30 % aqueous hydrogen peroxide. The negative Hammett rho(+) (-0.99) for the competitive oxidation of p-substituted styrenes and the low value of (nucleophilic oxidation)/(total oxidation), X(SO)=0.04, for I-catalyzed oxidation of thianthrene 5-oxide (SSO) reveals that a strongly electrophilic oxidant species is formed on I. The preferential formation of trans-epoxide during epoxidation of 3-methyl-1-cyclohexene demonstrates the steric constraints of the active site of I. The I-catalyzed epoxidation proceeds with an induction period that disappears upon treatment of I with hydrogen peroxide. (29)Si and (183)W NMR spectroscopy and CSI mass spectrometry show that reaction of I with excess hydrogen peroxide leads to fast formation of a diperoxo species, [TBA](4)[gamma-SiW(10)O(32)(O(2))(2)] (II), with retention of a gamma-Keggin type structure. Whereas the isolated compound II is inactive for stoichiometric epoxidation of cyclooctene, epoxidation with II does proceed in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The reaction of II with hydrogen peroxide would form a reactive species (III), and this step corresponds to the induction period observed in the catalytic epoxidation. The steric and electronic characters of III are the same as those for the catalytic epoxidation by I. Kinetic, spectroscopic, and mechanistic investigations show that the present epoxidation proceeds via III.

An organic-inorganic hybrid support has been synthesized by covalently anchoring an N-octyldihydroimidazolium cation fragment onto SiO2 (denoted as 1-SiO2). This modified support was characterized by solid-state 13C, 29Si, and 31P NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The results showed that the structure of the dihydroimidazolium skeleton is preserved on the surface of SiO2. The modified support can act as a good anion exchanger, which allows the catalytically active polyoxometalate anion [gamma-1,2-H2SiV2W10O40]4- (I) to be immobilized onto the support by a stoichiometric anion exchange (denoted as I/1-SiO2). The structure of anion I is preserved after the anion exchange, as confirmed by IR and 51V NMR spectroscopy. The catalytic performance for the oxidation of olefins and sulfides, with hydrogen peroxide (only one equivalent with respect to substrate) as the sole oxidant, was investigated with I/1-SiO2. This supported catalyst shows a high stereospecificity, diastereoselectivity, regioselectivity, and a high efficiency of hydrogen peroxide utilization for the oxidation of various olefins and sulfides without any loss of the intrinsic catalytic nature of the corresponding homogeneous analogue of I (i.e., the tetra-n-butylammonium salt of I, TBA-I), although the rates decreased to about half that with TBA-I. The oxidation can be stopped immediately by removal of the solid catalyst, and vanadium and tungsten species can hardly be found in the filtrate after removal of the catalyst. These results rule out any contribution to the observed catalysis from vanadium and tungsten species that leach into the reaction solution, which means that the observed catalysis is truly heterogeneous in nature. In addition, the catalyst is reusable for both epoxidation and sulfoxidation without any loss of catalytic performance.

Three kinds of hydrogen-transfer reactions, namely racemization of chiral secondary alcohols, reduction of carbonyl compounds to alcohols using 2-propanol as a hydrogen donor, and isomerization of allylic alcohols to saturated ketones, are efficiently promoted by the easily prepared and inexpensive supported ruthenium catalyst Ru(OH)x/Al2O3. A wide variety of substrates, such as aromatic, aliphatic, and heterocyclic alcohols or carbonyl compounds, can be converted into the desired products, under anaerobic conditions, in moderate to excellent yields and without the need for additives such as bases. A larger scale, solvent-free reaction is also demonstrated: the isomerization of 1-octen-3-ol with a substrate/catalyst ratio of 20,000/1 shows a very high turnover frequency (TOF) of 18,400 h(-1), with a turnover number (TON) that reaches 17,200. The catalysis for these reactions is intrinsically heterogeneous in nature, and the Ru(OH)x/Al2O3 recovered after the reactions can be reused without appreciable loss of catalytic performance. The reaction mechanism of the present Ru(OH)x/Al2O3-catalyzed hydrogen-transfer reactions were examined with monodeuterated substrates. After the racemization of (S)-1-deuterio-1-phenylethanol in the presence of acetophenone was complete, the deuterium content at the alpha-position of the corresponding racemic alcohol was 91%, whereas no deuterium was incorporated into the alpha-position during the racemization of (S)-1-phenylethanol-OD. These results show that direct carbon-to-carbon hydrogen transfer occurs via a metal monohydride for the racemization of chiral secondary alcohols and reduction of carbonyl compounds to alcohols. For the isomerization, the alpha-deuterium of 3-deuterio-1-octen-3-ol was selectively relocated at the beta-position of the corresponding ketones (99% D at the beta-position), suggesting the involvement of a 1,4-addition of ruthenium monohydride species to the alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone intermediate. The ruthenium monohydride species and the alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone would be formed through alcoholate formation/beta-elimination. Kinetic studies and kinetic isotope effects show that the Ru-H bond cleavage (hydride transfer) is included in the rate-determining step.

The nitration of alkanes by using nitric acid as a nitrating agent in acetic acid was efficiently promoted by vanadium-substituted Keggin-type phosphomolybdates such as [H4PVMo11O40], [H5PV2Mo10O40], and [H6PV3Mo9O40] as catalyst precursors. A variety of alkanes including alkylbenzenes were nitrated to the corresponding nitroalkanes as major products in moderate yields with formation of oxygenated products under mild reaction conditions. The carbon--carbon bond cleavage reactions hardly proceeded. ESR, NMR, and IR spectroscopic data show that the vanadium-substituted polyoxometalate, for example, [H4PVMo11O40], decomposes to form free vanadium species and [PMo12O40](3-) Keggin anion. The reaction mechanism involving a radical-chain path is proposed. The polyoxometalates initially abstract the hydrogen of the alkane to form the alkyl radical and the reduced polyoxometalates. The reduced polyoxometalates subsequently react with nitric acid to produce the oxidized form and nitrogen dioxide. This step would be promoted mainly by the phosphomolybdates, [PMo12O40](n-), and the vanadium cations efficiently enhance the activity. The nitrogen dioxide promotes the further formation of nitrogen dioxide and an alkyl radical. The alkyl radical is trapped by nitrogen dioxide to form the corresponding nitroalkane.

The highly chemo-, regio-, and diastereoselective and stereospecific epoxidation of various allylic alcohols with only one equivalent of hydrogen peroxide in water can be efficiently catalyzed by the dinuclear peroxotungstate, K2[[W(=O)(O2)2(H2O)]2(mu-O)].2H2O (I). The catalyst is easily recycled while maintaining its catalytic performance. The catalytic reaction mechanism including the exchange of the water ligand to form the tungsten-alcoholate species followed by the insertion of oxygen to the carbon-carbon double bond, and the regeneration of the dinuclear peroxotungstate with hydrogen peroxide is proposed. The reaction rate shows first-order dependence on the concentrations of allylic alcohol and dinuclear peroxotungstate and zero-order dependence on the concentration of hydrogen peroxide. These results, the kinetic data, the comparison of the catalytic rates with those for the stoichiometric reactions, and kinetic isotope effects indicate that the oxygen transfer from a dinuclear peroxotungstate to the double bond is the rate-limiting step for terminal allylic alcohols such as 2-propen-1-ol (1a).