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The choice of TiO2 crystal phase (i. e., anatase, rutile, or brookite) greatly influences catalyst performance in the gas‐phase ketonization of small volatile fatty acids, such as acetic acid and propionic acid. Rutile TiO2 was found to perform best, combining superior activity, as exemplified by an exceptional reaction rate of 141.8 mmol h−1 gcat −1 (at 425 °C and 24 h−1) with excellent ketone selectivity when propionic acid was used. Brookite, to the best of our knowledge never reported before as a viable ketonization catalyst, was found to outperform the well‐studied anatase phase, but not rutile. Operando Fourier‐transform IR spectroscopy measurements combined with on‐line mass spectrometry showed that bidentate carboxylates were the most abundant surface species on the rutile and brookite surfaces, while on anatase both monodentate and bidentate carboxylates co‐existed. The bidendate carboxylates were thought to be precursors to the active ketonization species, likely monodentate intermediates more prone to C−C coupling. Ketonization activity did not directly correlate with acidity; the observed, strong crystal phase effect did suggest that ketonization activity is influenced strongly by geometrical factors that determine the ease of formation of the relevant surface intermediates., Rutile rules! Rutile proves highly active in the gas‐phase ketonization of volatile fatty acids, a versatile acid upgrading reaction. Operando IR measurements provide insight into why rutile outperforms other titania crystal phases.

The authors would like to thank the EPSRC (Global Engagement grant EP/K00445X/1 and critical mass grant EP/J018139/1) and the European Union (Marie Curie ITN ‘SuBiCat’ PITN-GA-2013-607044) for financial support. NMSF-Swansea and Mr. Stephen Boyer are kindly acknowledged for mass spectrometry and elemental analysis, respectively. Bite angle and electronic effects on the ruthenium-diphosphine catalysed ether bond cleavage of the lignin β-O-4 model compound 2-phenoxy-1-phenethanol were tested. Enhanced conversion of the substrate was observed with increasing σ-donor capacity of the ligands. Kinetic and thermodynamic data suggest oxidative addition of the dehydrogenated model compound to the diphosphine Ru(0) complex to be rate-limiting. Postprint

Tandem catalysis combines multiple conversion steps, catalysts, and reagents in one reaction medium, offering the potential to reduce waste and time. In this study, Pickering emulsions-emulsions stabilized by solid particles-are used as easy-to-prepare and bioinspired, compartmentalized reaction media for tandem catalysis. Making use of simple and inexpensive acid and base catalysts, the strategy of compartmentalization of two noncompatible catalysts in both phases of the emulsion is demonstrated by using the deacetalization-Knoevenagel condensation reaction of benzaldehyde dimethyl acetal as a probe reaction. In contrast to simple biphasic systems, which do not allow for tandem catalysis and show instantaneous quenching of the acid and base catalysts, the Pickering emulsions show efficient antagonistic tandem catalysis and give the desired product in high yield, as a result of an increased interfacial area and suppressed mutual destruction of the acid and base catalysts.

Renewable aromatics can be conveniently synthesized from furanics by introducing an intermediate hydrogenation step in the Diels-Alder (DA) aromatization route, to effectively block retro-DA activity. Aromatization of the hydrogenated DA adducts requires tandem catalysis, using a metal-based dehydrogenation catalyst and solid acid dehydration catalyst in toluene. Herein it is demonstrated that the hydrogenated DA adducts can instead be conveniently converted into renewable aromatics with up to 80 % selectivity in a solid-phase reaction with shorter reaction times using only an acidic zeolite, that is, without solvent or dehydrogenation catalyst. Hydrogenated adducts from diene/dienophile combinations of (methylated) furans with maleic anhydride are efficiently converted into renewable aromatics with this new route. The zeolite H-Y was found to perform the best and can be easily reused after calcination.

Diglycerol dicarbonate, which has been highlighted as a potential monomer for the production of non-isocyanate polyurethanes, has been synthesised using as-synthesised hydrotalcites of varying magnesium-to-aluminium ratio as catalyst materials. The hydrotalcite materials were aged for two different times, influencing their crystallite size. The catalytic carbonylation of diglycerol into diglycerol dicarbonate with dimethyl carbonate as “CO” source and solvent, ran to full conversion within 6 h, with complete selectivity, operating at relatively mild temperatures. Diglycerol monocarbonate was observed as a reaction intermediate in this conversion process. The increased basicity observed with increasing Mg/Al ratio led to higher activities. The catalysts can be easily recovered and re-used without any further activation treatment, whilst still displaying their high activity.

Protonated ferrierite shows superior activity and selectivity in the liquid-phase isomerisation of linear unsaturated fatty acids to (mono-)branched-chain unsaturated fatty acids, (Mo)BUFA. This high selectivity is remarkable, as most of the interior surface of the zeolite is blocked already at the onset of reaction, limiting reaction to the pore mouth. A detailed study of the relationship between ferrierite acidity and performance is reported for five commercial catalysts; significant differences were found, independently of their bulk Si/AI ratios. Initial pore conversion correlates with Bronsted acidity in the 10-MR channels, as determined by adsorption/desorption of pyridine and FTIR. A low density of external acid sites reduces oligomerisation of fatty acids, while a high ratio of Bronsted to Lewis sites explains the observed high BUFA yield. The combination of FTIR with CO adsorption, and temperature-programmed desorption of NH3, confirms that the presence of strong but few Bronsted acid sites in the 10-MR channels increases selectivity to MoBUFA. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dehydrogenation promoters greatly enhance the performance of SiO2-MgO catalysts in the Lebedev process. Here, the effect of preparation method and order of addition of Cu on the structure and performance of Cu-promoted SiO2-MgO materials is detailed. Addition of Cu to MgO via incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) or coprecipitation (CP) prior to wet-kneading with SiO2 gave similar butadiene yields (similar to 40%) as when Cu was added to the already wet-kneaded catalyst. In contrast, the catalyst prepared by impregnation of Cu on SiO2 first proved to be the worst catalyst of the series. TEM, XRD, and XPS analyses suggested that, for all catalyst materials, Cu2+ forms a solid solution with MgO. This was confirmed by UV-vis, XANES, and EXAFS data, with Cu being found in a distorted octahedral geometry. As a result, the acid base properties, as determined by Pyridine- and CDCl3-IR as well as NH3-TPD, are modified, contributing to the improved performance. Operando XANES and EXAFS studies of the evolution of the copper species showed that Cu2+, the only species initially present, is extensively reduced to a mixture of Cu-0 and Cu+, leaving only a limited amount of unreduced Cu2+. This formation of Cu-0 is the result of the reducing environment of the Lebedev process and is thought to be mainly responsible for the improved performance of the Cu-promoted catalysts.

The valorization of the humin byproducts that are formed during hydrothermal, acid-catalyzed dehydration of carbohydrates is hampered by the insolubility of these byproducts. Here, we report on an alkaline pretreatment method that allows for the insolubility of this highly recalcitrant and structurally complex feed to be overcome. The reactive solubilization of glucose-derived humins was found to require a treatment at 200 degrees C in 0.5 M NaOH for 3.5 h. Fructose- and xylose-derived humins were found to be more recalcitrant, and complete dissolution required raising the temperature to 240 degrees C. Gel permeation chromatographic analyses show the relative average molecular weight of the now soluble humins to decrease with increasing temperature and reaction time. The alkali-treated humins are soluble in water of pH >= 7. Elemental analysis, IR, 2D PASS C-13 solid-state NMR and pyrolysis-GC MS (gas chromatography mass spectrometry) data indicate that the alkaline pretreatment leads to considerable changes in the molecular structure of the humins. Cleavage of C-O-C bonds and further aromatization of the originally highly furanic humins result in the formation of (polycyclic) aromatic structures decorated with carboxylic acids. The combination of the reduction in Mw and the formation of polar functional groups are thought to be the reasons behind the improved solubility.

Humin by-products are formed during the acid-catalyzed dehydration of carbohydrates to bio-based platform molecules, such as hydroxymethylfurfural and levulinic acid. The molecular structure of these humins has not yet been unequivocally established. 1D 13C solid-state NMR data reported have, for example, provided considerable insight, but do not allow for the unambiguous assignment of key structural motifs. Complementary (2D) techniques are needed to gain additional insight into the molecular structure of humins. Here, the preparation of 13C-enriched humins is reported, together with the reactive solubilization of these labeled humins and their characterization with complementary 1D and 2D solid-state NMR techniques. 1D cross polarization (CP) and direct excitation (DE) 13C solid-state NMR spectra, 2D 13C-detected double-quantum single-quantum (DQSQ) as well as 2D 1H-detected heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) were recorded with different excitation schemes. These experiments unambiguously established that the original humins have a furan-rich structure with aliphatic linkers and allowed for a refinement of the molecular structure proposed previously. Solid-state NMR data of alkali-treated 13C-labeled humins showed that an arene-rich structure is formed at the expense of the furanic network during alkaline pretreatment.

The Lebedev ethanol-to-butadiene process entails a complex chain of reactions that require catalysts to possess a subtle balance in the number and strength of acidic and basic sites. SiO2-MgO materials can be excellent Lebedev catalysts if properly prepared, as catalyst performance has been found to depend significantly on the synthesis method. To assess the specific requirements for butadiene production in terms of active sites and to link their presence to the specific preparation method applied, five distinct SiO2-MgO catalysts, prepared by wet-kneading and co-precipitation methods, were thoroughly characterized. The amount and strength of the acidic (pyridine-IR and NH3-TPD) and basic (CDCl3-IR and CO2-TPD) sites of the materials as well as the overall acid/base properties in the liquid phase (Hammett indicators) were determined. The number of acidic and strong basic sites could be correlated with the extent of ethylene and diethyl ether by-product formation. The best performing catalysts are those containing a small amount of strong basic sites, combined with an intermediate amount of acidic sites and weak basic ones. These results thus provide further insight into the relation between the amount and strength of acidic/basic sites, preparation method and catalytic performance.

We used single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to study self-diffusion of a feedstock-like probe molecule with nanometer accuracy in the macropores of a micrometer-sized, real-life fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) particle. Movies of single fluorescent molecules allowed their movement through the pore network to be reconstructed. The observed tracks were classified into three different states by machine learning and all found to be distributed homogeneously over the particle. Most probe molecules (88%) were immobile, with the molecule most likely being physisorbed or trapped; the remainder was either mobile (8%), with the molecule moving inside the macropores, or showed hybrid behavior (4%). Mobile tracks had an average diffusion coefficient of D = 8 × 10-14 ± 1 × 10-13 m2 s-1, with the standard deviation thought to be related to the large range of pore sizes found in FCC particles. The developed methodology can be used to evaluate, quantify and map heterogeneities in diffusional properties within complex hierarchically porous materials. ispartof: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY vol:139 issue:39 pages:13632-13635 ispartof: location:United States status: published

The presence of biogenic or process‐derived impurities poses a major problem on the efficient catalytic hydrogenation of biomass‐derived levulinic acid to γ‐valerolactone; hence, studies on their influence on catalyst stability are now required. Herein, the influence of sulfuric acid as feed impurity on the performance of Ru‐based heterogeneous catalysts, including Ru/ZrO2 and mono‐ and bimetallic Ru‐on‐carbon catalysts in dioxane as solvent, was investigated. The carbon‐supported Ru catalysts proved to be very sensitive to minor amounts of sulfuric acid. In stark contrast, Ru/ZrO2 showed a remarkable stability in the presence of the same impurity, which is attributed to the sulfate‐ion adsorption capacity of the support. Preferential sulfate adsorption onto the surface of ZrO2 effectively protects the Ru active phase from deactivation by sulfur poisoning. A simple catalyst regeneration strategy was effective in removing adsorbed impurities, allowing efficient catalyst recycling.

The formation and nature of coke (precursor) species has been studied during the skeletal isomerisation of oleic acid catalysed by protonated ferrierite, in the presence and absence of a triphenylphosphine promoter. UV-Vis and FT-IR spectroscopic analyses of the spent catalyst materials, complemented by NMR and mass spectrometry of the coke deposits extracted after HF dissolution, provide new insights into the deactivation mechanisms. Initial high catalyst activity and selectivity are quickly lost, despite conservation of the framework integrity, as a result of severe deactivation. Pore blockage is detected very early in the reaction, and only the pore mouth is actively employed. Additionally, polyenylic carbocations formed by hydrogen transfer reactions poison the active sites; they are considered to be the precursors to traces of condensed aromatics detected in the spent catalyst. Dodecyl benzene is the major "coke" constituent, and its precursor probably also competes for the active sites. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lignin and humins are both (by-)products of biorefining processes aimed at the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass. In order to improve the efficiency of such biorefineries and to develop new valorization pathways for these polymeric materials, detailed insight into their complex chemical structure and functional group distribution is required. Here, we report on the quantification and classification of the ketone and aldehyde carbonyl functional groups contained in these two polymers by 19F NMR. The known method of carbonyl derivatization with 4-(trifluoromethyl)phenylhydrazine to the corresponding hydrazone has been improved and simplified, allowing derivatization directly in an NMR tube, requiring no additional workup before quantification by 19F NMR. Furthermore, the scope of the method was assessed and expanded, with model compound studies, which included monomeric and dimeric compounds as well as synthetic polymers, showing that the carbonyl functions can indeed be reproducibly quantified. Using this model compound library, the carbonyl functional groups in two technical lignins (Indulin Kraft and Alcell) and, for the first time, an industrial humin could be quantified and classified. The industrial humin was found to contain 6.6 wt % of carbonyl functions, with aliphatic and conjugated carbonyls being detected. The relatively high abundance of such functional groups, which are amenable to further chemical modification, provides opportunities for the use of these humin byproducts in various applications, e.g., as materials after derivatization.

Bio‐based furanics can be aromatized efficiently by sequential Diels–Alder (DA) addition and hydrogenation steps followed by tandem catalytic aromatization. With a combination of zeolite H‐Y and Pd/C, the hydrogenated DA adduct of 2‐methylfuran and maleic anhydride can thus be aromatized in the liquid phase and, to a certain extent, decarboxylated to give high yields of the aromatic products 3‐methylphthalic anhydride and o‐ and m‐toluic acid. Here, it is shown that a variation in the acidity and textural properties of the solid acid as well as bifunctionality offers a handle on selectivity toward aromatic products. The zeolite component was found to dominate selectivity. Indeed, a linear correlation is found between 3‐methylphthalic anhydride yield and the product of (strong acid/total acidity) and mesopore volume of H‐Y, highlighting the need for balanced catalyst acidity and porosity. The efficient coupling of the dehydration and dehydrogenation steps by varying the zeolite‐to‐Pd/C ratio allowed the competitive decarboxylation reaction to be effectively suppressed, which led to an improved 3‐methylphthalic anhydride/total aromatics selectivity ratio of 80 % (89 % total aromatics yield). The incorporation of Pd nanoparticles in close proximity to the acid sites in bifunctional Pd/H‐Y catalysts also afforded a flexible means to control aromatic products selectivity, as further demonstrated in the aromatization of hydrogenated DA adducts from other diene/dienophile combinations.

Catalyst stability in the liquid phase under polar conditions, typically required for the catalytic conversion of renewable platform molecules, is a major concern but has been only sparsely studied. Here, the activity, selectivity, and stability of Ru-based catalysts supported on TiO2, ZrO2, and C in the conversion of levulinic acid (LA) to γ-valerolactone (GVL) has been studied at 30 bar of H2 and 423 K in dioxane as solvent. All catalysts showed excellent yields of GVL when used fresh, but only the Ru/ZrO2 catalyst could maintain these high yields upon multiple recycling. Surprisingly, the widely used Ru/TiO2 catalyst showed quick signs of deactivation already after the first catalytic test. XPS, CO/FT-IR, TGA, AC-STEM, and physisorption data showed that the partial deactivation is not due to Ru sintering or coking but rather due to reduction of the titania support in combination with partial coverage of the Ru nanoparticles, i.e. due to a detrimental strong metal–support interaction. In contrast, the zirconia support showed no signs of reduction and displayed high morphological and structural stability even after five recycling tests. Remarkably, in the fresh Ru/ZrO2 catalyst, Ru was found to be fully atomically dispersed on the fresh catalyst even at 1 wt % Ru loading, with some genesis of Ru nanoparticles being observed upon recycling. Further studies with the Ru/ZrO2 catalyst showed that dioxane can be readily replaced by more benign solvents, including GVL itself. The addition of water to the reaction mixture was furthermore shown to promote the selective hydrogenation reaction.

© 2016 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.Lignin is an abundant biopolymer with a high carbon content and high aromaticity. Despite its potential as a raw material for the fuel and chemical industries, lignin remains the most poorly utilised of the lignocellulosic biopolymers. Effective valorisation of lignin requires careful fine-tuning of multiple “upstream” (i.e., lignin bioengineering, lignin isolation and “early-stage catalytic conversion of lignin”) and “downstream” (i.e., lignin depolymerisation and upgrading) process stages, demanding input and understanding from a broad array of scientific disciplines. This review provides a “beginning-to-end” analysis of the recent advances reported in lignin valorisation. Particular emphasis is placed on the improved understanding of lignins biosynthesis and structure, differences in structure and chemical bonding between native and technical lignins, emerging catalytic valorisation strategies, and the relationships between lignin structure and catalyst performance.

Large zeolite crystals of ferrierite have been used to study the deactivation, at the single particle level, of the alkyl isomerisation catalysis of oleic acid and elaidic acid by a combination of visible micro-spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy (both polarised wide-field and confocal modes). The large crystals did show the desired activity, albeit only traces of the isomerisation product were obtained and low conversions were achieved compared to commercial ferrierite powders. This limited activity is in line with their lower external non-basal surface area, supporting the hypothesis of pore mouth catalysis. Further evidence for the latter comes from visible micro-spectroscopy, which shows that the accumulation of aromatic species is limited to the crystal edges, while fluorescence microscopy strongly suggests the presence of polyenylic carbocations. Light polarisation associated with the spatial resolution of fluorescence microscopy reveals that these carbonaceous deposits are aligned only in the larger 10-MR channels of ferrierite at all crystal edges. The reaction is hence further limited to these specific pore mouths.

Renewable aromatics can be conveniently synthesized from furanics by introducing an intermediate hydrogenation step in the Diels–Alder (DA) aromatization route, to effectively block retro‐DA activity. Aromatization of the hydrogenated DA adducts requires tandem catalysis, using a metal‐based dehydrogenation catalyst and solid acid dehydration catalyst in toluene. Herein it is demonstrated that the hydrogenated DA adducts can instead be conveniently converted into renewable aromatics with up to 80 % selectivity in a solid‐phase reaction with shorter reaction times using only an acidic zeolite, that is, without solvent or dehydrogenation catalyst. Hydrogenated adducts from diene/dienophile combinations of (methylated) furans with maleic anhydride are efficiently converted into renewable aromatics with this new route. The zeolite H‐Y was found to perform the best and can be easily reused after calcination.

Humin by-products are formed during the acid-catalyzed dehydration of carbohydrates to bio-based platform molecules, such as hydroxymethylfurfural and levulinic acid. The molecular structure of these humins has not yet been unequivocally established. 1D C-13 solid-state NMR data reported have, for example, provided considerable insight, but do not allow for the unambiguous assignment of key structural motifs. Complementary (2D) techniques are needed to gain additional insight into the molecular structure of humins. Here, the preparation of C-13-enriched humins is reported, together with the reactive solubilization of these labeled humins and their characterization with complementary 1D and 2D solid-state NMR techniques. 1D cross polarization (CP) and direct excitation (DE) C-13 solid-state NMR spectra, 2D C-13-detected double-quantum single-quantum (DQSQ) as well as 2D H-1-detected heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) were recorded with different excitation schemes. These experiments unambiguously established that the original humins have a furan-rich structure with aliphatic linkers and allowed for a refinement of the molecular structure proposed previously. Solid-state NMR data of alkali-treated C-13-labeled humins showed that an arene-rich structure is formed at the expense of the furanic network during alkaline pretreatment.

A method for the regioselective transformation of dienes to carbonyl compounds has been developed. Electron-rich olefins react selectively to yield valuable aldehydes and ketones. The method is based on the catalyst [Fe(OTf)2(mix-BPBP)] with an oxidant combination of H2O2 (1.0 equiv.) and NaIO4 (1.5 equiv.); it uses mild conditions and short reaction times, and it outperforms other olefin cleavage methodologies. The combination of an Fe-based catalyst, [Fe(OTf)2(mix-BPBP)], and the oxidants H2O2 and NaIO4 can discriminate between electronically different double bonds and oxidatively cleave the electron-rich bond in dienes to yield aldehydes and ketones in a regioselective manner. The reaction requires mild conditions (0-50 C) and short reaction times (70 min).