An official website of the United States government
Recently, silver nanoclusters have garnered considerable attention after the high-yield synthesis and crystallization of a thiolate-protected silver nanocluster, Na4Ag44(SR)30 (SR, protecting thiolate ligand). One intriguing feature of Na4Ag44(SR)30 is its outstanding stability and resistance to chemical reactions, in striking difference from other silver nanostructures whose susceptibility to oxidation (tarnishing) has been commonly observed and thus limits their applications in nanotechnology. Herein, we report the mechanism on the ultrahigh stability of Na4Ag44(SR)30 by uncovering how coordinating solvents interact with the Na4Ag44(SR)30 nanocluster at the atomic scale. Through synchrotron X-ray experiments and theoretical calculations, it was found that strongly coordinating aprotic solvents interact with surface Ag atoms, particularly between ligand bundles, which compresses the Ag core and relaxes surface metal–ligand interactions. Furthermore, water was used as a cosolvent to demonstrate that semiaqueous conditions play an important role in protecting exposed surface regions and can further influence the local structure of the silver nanocluster itself. Notably, under semiaqueous conditions, aprotic coordinating solvent molecules preferentially remain on the metal surface while water molecules interact with ligands, and ligand bundling persisted across the varied solvation conditions. This work offers an atomic level mechanism on the ultrahigh stability of the Na4Ag44(SR)30 nanoclusters from the nanocluster-coordinating solvent interaction perspective, and implies that nanocluster-solvent interactions should be carefully considered moving forward for silver nanoclusters, as they can influence the electronic/chemical properties of the nanocluster as well as the surface accessibility of small molecules for potential catalytic and biomedical applications.
more »
« less
Influence of the pendant arm in deoxydehydration catalyzed by dioxomolybdenum complexes supported by amine bisphenolate ligands
Dioxomolybdenum complexes supported by aminebisphenolate ligands were evaluated for their potential in catalyzing the deoxydehydration (DODH) reaction to establish structure–activity relationships. The nature of the pendant arm in these aminebisphenolate ligands was found to be crucial in determining reactivity in the deoxydehydration of styrene glycol (1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol) to styrene. Pendant arms bearing strongly coordinating N -based groups such as pyridyl or amino substituents were found to hinder activity while those bearing non-coordinating pendant arms (benzyl) or even weakly coordinating groups (an ether) resulted in up to 6 fold enhancement in catalytic activity. A dioxomolybdenum complex featuring an aminemonophenolate ligand derived from the aminebisphenolate skeleton also resulted in similar yield enhancements. Although aromatic solvents were found to be ideal for performing these catalytic reactions, polar solvents such as N , N -dimethylformamide (DMF) and N , N ′-dimethylpropyleneurea (DMPU) were also suitable. The catalyst was found to maintain its structural integrity under the optimized conditions and could be recycled for a second catalytic run without loss of activity. With the activated substrate meso -hydrobenzoin, trans -stilbene was obtained in a 56% yield at 220 °C along with benzaldehyde (71%) suggesting that the diol is a competing reductant under these conditions.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1800605
- PAR ID:
- 10159652
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- New Journal of Chemistry
- ISSN:
- 1144-0546
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract A synthetic method for the palladium‐catalyzed cyanation of aryl boronic acids using bench stable and non‐toxicN‐cyanosuccinimide has been developed. High‐throughput experimentation facilitated the screen of 90 different ligands and the resultant statistical data analysis identified that ligand σ‐donation, π‐acidity and sterics are key drivers that govern yield. Categorization into three ligand groups – monophosphines, bisphosphines and miscellaneous – was performed before the analysis. For the monophosphines, the yield of the reaction increases for strong σ‐donating, weak π‐accepting ligands, with flexible pendant substituents. For the bisphosphines, the yield predominantly correlates with ligand lability. The applicability of the designed reaction to a wider substrate scope was investigated, showing good functional group tolerance in particular with boronic acids bearing electron‐withdrawing substituents. This work outlines the development of a novel reaction, coupled with a fast and efficient workflow to gain understanding of the optimal ligand properties for the design of improved palladium cross‐coupling catalysts.more » « less
-
Ethylene cross-bridged tetraazamacrocycles are known to produce kinetically stable transition metal complexes that can act as robust oxidation catalysts under harsh aqueous conditions. We have synthesized ligand analogs with single acetate pendant arms that act as pentadentate ligands to Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn. These complexes have been synthesized and characterized, including the structural characterization of four Co and Cu complexes. Cyclic voltammetry demonstrates that multiple oxidation states are stabilized by these rigid, bicyclic ligands. Yet, redox potentials of the metal complexes are modified compared to the “parent” ligands due to the pendant acetate arm. Similarly, gains in kinetic stability under harsh acidic conditions, compared to parent complexes without the pendant acetate arm, were demonstrated by a half-life seven times longer for the cyclam copper complex. Due to the reversible, high oxidation states available for the Mn and Fe complexes, the Mn and Fe complexes were examined as catalysts for the bleaching of three commonly used pollutant model dyes (methylene blue, methyl orange, and Rhodamine B) in water with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. The efficient bleaching of these dyes was observed.more » « less
-
Pellegrini, M; Saccani, C; Guzzini, A (Ed.)Twenty novel Mn, Fe, and Cu complexes of ethylene cross-bridged tetraazamacrocycles with potentially copolymerizable allyl and benzyl pendant arms were synthesized and characterized. Multiple X-ray crystal structures demonstrate the cis-folded pseudo-octahedral geometry forced by the rigidifying ethylene cross-bridge and show that two cis coordination cites are available for interaction with substrate and oxidant. The Cu complexes were used to determine kinetic stability under harsh acidic and high-temperature conditions, which revealed that the cyclam-based ligands provide superior stabilization with half-lives of many minutes or even hours in 5 M HCl at 50–90 °C. Cyclic voltammetry studies of the Fe and Mn complexes reveal reversible redox processes indicating stabilization of Fe2+/Fe3+ and Mn2+/Mn3+/Mn4+ oxidation states, indicating the likelihood of catalytic oxidation for these complexes. Finally, dye-bleaching experiments with methylene blue, methyl orange, and rhodamine B demonstrate efficient catalytic decolorization and allow selection of the most successful monomeric catalysts for copolymerization to produce future heterogeneous water purification materials.more » « less
-
Zeolites (ZSM-5 and Beta) with different SiO2/Al2O3 ratios were synthesized as solid acids for hydrolyzing cellulose in an inorganic ionic liquid system (lithium bromide trihydrate solution, LBTH) under mild conditions. The results indicated that the texture properties of zeolite had little effect on catalytic activity, while acidity of zeolite was crucial to the cellulose hydrolysis. In the LBTH system, H-form zeolites released H+ into the solution from their acid sites via ion-exchange with Li+, which hydrolyzed the cellulose already dissolved. This unique homogeneous hydrolysis mechanism was the primary reason for the excellent performance of the zeolites in catalyzing cellulose hydrolysis in the LBTH system. It was found cellulose could be completely hydrolyzed to glucose and oligoglucan by 2% (w/w on cellulose) zeolite at 140 °C within 3 h with a single-pass glucose yield 61%. The zeolites could be recovered with 50% initial catalytic activity after regeneration and reused with stable catalytic activity.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NJ02151B
