Predicting gold-mediated catalytic oxidative-coupling reactions from single crystal studies

Taming Strong Metal-Support Interactions to Generalize Gold-Zinc Oxide Catalysts in Oxidative Coupling

Strong metal-support interactions (SMSI) are at the cutting edge of catalysis research, yet their size-dependent nature remains both widespread and subject to ongoing debate. Here, we report the discovery of bell-shaped size-dependent SMSI, and we establish its structure-SMSI-performance relationship in oxidative C-H/O-H coupling reactions. Using Au/ZnO as a prototypical catalyst, we develop a thermodynamic equilibrium model that quantitatively captures the size-dependent surface energy and tension disparities, identifying the particle size ratio as the descriptor for bell-shaped encapsulation dynamics. Larger Au particles with a higher surface energy are prone to wetting by smaller ZnO particles, triggering lattice oxygen spillover to form Au-O species that accelerate the rate-limiting hemiacetal β-H elimination. Simultaneously, residual oxygen vacancies serve as frustrated Lewis pairs, synergizing with Au-O to replenish hemiacetals and complete the catalytic cycle. This dual promotional mechanism overcomes the oxygen activation bottleneck in traditional Au catalysts, achieving state-of-the-art performance of 94.6% aldehyde conversion and 97.0% ester selectivity. The obtained structure-SMSI relationships are applicable to Ir/ZnO and Rh/ZnO catalysts, with similar SMSI-performance relationships extending to various aldehyde substrates, including saturated, unsaturated, and aromatic. These generalizable relationships lay a strong foundation for the strategic design and manipulation of SMSI states.

Spiers Memorial Lecture: New directions in molecular scattering

The field of molecular scattering is reviewed as it pertains to gas-gas as well as gas-surface chemical reaction dynamics. We emphasize the importance of collaboration of experiment and theory, from which new directions of research are being pursued on increasingly complex problems. We review both experimental and theoretical advances that provide the modern toolbox available to molecular-scattering studies. We distinguish between two classes of work. The first involves simple systems and uses experiment to validate theory so that from the validated theory, one may learn far more than could ever be measured in the laboratory. The second class involves problems of great complexity that would be difficult or impossible to understand without a partnership of experiment and theory. Key topics covered in this review include crossed-beams reactive scattering and scattering at extremely low energies, where quantum effects dominate. They also include scattering from surfaces, reactive scattering and kinetics at surfaces, and scattering work done at liquid surfaces. The review closes with thoughts on future promising directions of research.

Nanoporous Gold: From Structure Evolution to Functional Properties in Catalysis and Electrochemistry

Nanoporous gold (NPG) is characterized by a bicontinuous network of nanometer-sized metallic struts and interconnected pores formed spontaneously by oxidative dissolution of the less noble element from gold alloys. The resulting material exhibits decent catalytic activity for low-temperature, aerobic total as well as partial oxidation reactions, the oxidative coupling of methanol to methyl formate being the prototypical example. This review not only provides a critical discussion of ways to tune the morphology and composition of this material and its implication for catalysis and electrocatalysis, but will also exemplarily review the current mechanistic understanding of the partial oxidation of methanol using information from quantum chemical studies, model studies on single-crystal surfaces, gas phase catalysis, aerobic liquid phase oxidation, and electrocatalysis. In this respect, a particular focus will be on mechanistic aspects not well understood, yet. Apart from the mechanistic aspects of catalysis, best practice examples with respect to material preparation and characterization will be discussed. These can improve the reproducibility of the materials property such as the catalytic activity and selectivity as well as the scope of reactions being identified as the main challenges for a broader application of NPG in target-oriented organic synthesis.

Oxidative Coupling of Methanol with Molecularly Adsorbed Oxygen on Au Surface to Methyl Formate

Supported Au catalysts efficiently catalyze the oxidative coupling of methanol with O₂ to methyl formate, in which the atomic O species (O(a)) formed via O₂ dissociation on the Au surface has been considered as the active oxygen species. Herein we report for the first time that the oxidative coupling of methanol can occur facilely with molecularly adsorbed O₂ species (O₂(a)) on a Au(997) surface at temperatures as low as around 125 K, while that with O(a) occurs at around 175 K. Both experimental and theoretical calculation results demonstrate a novel reaction mechanism of oxidative coupling of CH₃OH with O₂(a) via a dioxymethylene (H₂COO) intermediate, resulting in the production of both HCOOCH₃ and HCOOCH₃. These results reveal the unique reactivity of molecularly adsorbed O₂ species on Au surfaces for low-temperature oxidation reactions.

The role of oxygenated species in the catalytic self-coupling of MeOH on O pre-covered Au(111)

The oxidation of alcohols plays a central role in the valorisation of biomass, in particular when performed with a non-toxic oxidant such as O₂. Aerobic oxidation of methanol on gold has attracted attention lately and the main steps of its mechanism have been described experimentally. However, the exact role of O and OH on each elementary step and the effect of the interactions between adsorbates are still not completely understood. Here we investigate the mechanism of methanol oxidation to HCOOCH₃ and CO₂. We use Density Functional Theory (DFT) to assess the energetics of the underlying pathways, and subsequently build lattice kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) models of increasing complexity, to elucidate the role of different oxygenates. Detailed comparisons of our simulation results with experimental temperature programmed desorption (TPD) spectra enable us to validate the mechanism and identify rate determining steps. Crucially, taking into account dispersion (van der Waals forces) and adsorbate-adsorbate lateral interactions are both important for reproducing the experimental data.

Role of the Support in Gold-Containing Nanoparticles as Heterogeneous Catalysts

In this review, we discuss selected examples from recent literature on the role of the support on directing the nanostructures of Au-based monometallic and bimetallic nanoparticles. The role of support is then discussed in relation to the catalytic properties of Au-based monometallic and bimetallic nanoparticles using different gas phase and liquid phase reactions. The reactions discussed include CO oxidation, aerobic oxidation of monohydric and polyhydric alcohols, selective hydrogenation of alkynes, hydrogenation of nitroaromatics, CO₂ hydrogenation, C–C coupling, and methane oxidation. Only studies where the role of support has been explicitly studied in detail have been selected for discussion. However, the role of support is also examined using examples of reactions involving unsupported metal nanoparticles (i.e., colloidal nanoparticles). It is clear that the support functionality can play a crucial role in tuning the catalytic activity that is observed and that advanced theory and characterization add greatly to our understanding of these fascinating catalysts.

The oxidative coupling between benzaldehyde derivatives and phenylacetylene catalyzed by rhodium complexes via C-H bond activation

This paper reports the use of rhodium (Rh) catalysts for the oxidative coupling reaction between phenylacetylene and benzaldehyde derivatives via C-H bond activation. These reactions were catalyzed by Rh(l-amino acid)(cod) (the l-amino acid is l-phenylalanine, l-valine or l-proline; cod is 1,5-cyclooctadiene) to obtain chromones in 12.7–88.3% yield. These new Rh catalysts have excellent activity for the coupling reaction between phenylacetylene and different benzaldehyde derivatives. It was found that the electronic effects of the benzaldehyde derivative substituent affected the reaction yield, which is in accordance with the proposed mechanism.

Renewable chitosan-derived cobalt@N-doped porous carbon for efficient aerobic esterification of alcohols under air

The direct oxidation of alcohols to esters through a green and cost-effective strategy is a fascinating chemical synthesis route. In this study, an environmentally friendly N-doped porous carbon encapsulated Co-based nano-catalyst was prepared via a simple carbonization procedure, utilizing renewable chitosan, accessible dicyandiamide and low-cost Co(OAc)2 as co-precursors. The obtained Co@NC-2-T catalysts were successfully used in selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols with methanol to esters under atmospheric reaction conditions. The Co@NC-2-900 catalyst (added with 2 g dicyandiamide and pyrolyzed at 900 °C) shows optimal activity and applicability and can also be reused at least six times in the oxidative esterification of aromatic alcohols with excellent stability. The presence of superoxide anion radicals in the current catalytic system was detected by the EPR method, and a possible mechanism of alcohol oxidation to ester was proposed on this basis. Thus, this study provides a facile, eco-friendly, and highly efficient catalytic system for oxidative esterification of alcohols.

Active site densities, oxygen activation and adsorbed reactive oxygen in alcohol activation on npAu catalysts

The activation of molecular O2 as well as the reactivity of adsorbed oxygen species is of central importance in aerobic selective oxidation chemistry on Au-based catalysts. Herein, we address the issue of O2 activation on unsupported nanoporous gold (npAu) catalysts by applying a transient pressure technique, a temporal analysis of products (TAP) reactor, to measure the saturation coverage of atomic oxygen, its collisional dissociation probability, the activation barrier for O2 dissociation, and the facility with which adsorbed O species activate methanol, the initial step in the catalytic cycle of esterification. The results from these experiments indicate that molecular O2 dissociation is associated with surface silver, that the density of reactive sites is quite low, that adsorbed oxygen atoms do not spill over from the sites of activation onto the surrounding surface, and that methanol reacts quite facilely with the adsorbed oxygen atoms. In addition, the O species from O2 dissociation exhibits reactivity for the selective oxidation of methanol but not for CO. The TAP experiments also revealed that the surface of the npAu catalyst is saturated with adsorbed O under steady state reaction conditions, at least for the pulse reaction.

Evaluating differences in the active-site electronics of supported Au nanoparticle catalysts using Hammett and DFT studies

Supported metal catalysts, which are composed of metal nanoparticles dispersed on metal oxides or other high-surface-area materials, are ubiquitous in industrially catalysed reactions. Identifying and characterizing the catalytic active sites on these materials still remains a substantial challenge, even though it is required to guide rational design of practical heterogeneous catalysts. Metal-support interactions have an enormous impact on the chemistry of the catalytic active site and can determine the optimum support for a reaction; however, few direct probes of these interactions are available. Here we show how benzyl alcohol oxidation Hammett studies can be used to characterize differences in the catalytic activity of Au nanoparticles hosted on various metal-oxide supports. We combine reactivity analysis with density functional theory calculations to demonstrate that the slope of experimental Hammett plots is affected by electron donation from the underlying oxide support to the Au particles.

Surface chemistry of group IB metals and related oxides

Catalytic surface chemistry of IB metals are reviewed with an attempt to bridge model catalysts and powder catalysts.

A fundamental analysis of enhanced cross-coupling catalytic activity for palladium clusters on graphene supports

Combining the recyclability of heterogeneous catalysts with the high activity of ligated homogeneous catalysts for the production of complex organic molecules is a cardinal goal of catalyst development. We have investigated the activity of ultra-fine Pd clusters bound to vacancy defective sites in graphene and found that the defective graphene both serves as a support to stabilize the recyclable catalyst, and also functions as a ligand enhancing the catalytic activity. In this paper, we report computational and experimental results that provide insights into the nature of the interfacial interactions between metal nanoparticles and defect sites on the graphene surface. Theoretical investigations reveal that while the vacancy/void sites on the graphene surface strongly bind to the metal clusters providing enhanced stability against leaching, graphene also serves as a reservoir of electron density that effectively reduces the activation energy of specific steps within the catalytic cycle. Furthermore, multiple experimental methods were used to unambiguously demonstrate that these cross-coupling reactions are occurring at the Pd/G catalyst surface.

Catalyst design for enhanced sustainability through fundamental surface chemistry

Decreasing energy consumption in the production of platform chemicals is necessary to improve the sustainability of the chemical industry, which is the largest consumer of delivered energy. The majority of industrial chemical transformations rely on catalysts, and therefore designing new materials that catalyse the production of important chemicals via more selective and energy-efficient processes is a promising pathway to reducing energy use by the chemical industry. Efficiently designing new catalysts benefits from an integrated approach involving fundamental experimental studies and theoretical modelling in addition to evaluation of materials under working catalytic conditions. In this review, we outline this approach in the context of a particular catalyst-nanoporous gold (npAu)-which is an unsupported, dilute AgAu alloy catalyst that is highly active for the selective oxidative transformation of alcohols. Fundamental surface science studies on Au single crystals and AgAu thin-film alloys in combination with theoretical modelling were used to identify the principles which define the reactivity of npAu and subsequently enabled prediction of new reactive pathways on this material. Specifically, weak van der Waals interactions are key to the selectivity of Au materials, including npAu. We also briefly describe other systems in which this integrated approach was applied.

Designing for selectivity: weak interactions and the competition for reactive sites on gold catalysts

A major challenge in heterogeneous catalysis is controlling reaction selectivity, especially in complex environments. When more than one species is present in the gas mixture, the competition for binding sites on the surface of a catalyst is an important factor in determining reaction selectivity and activity. We establish an experimental hierarchy for the binding of a series of reaction intermediates on Au(111) and demonstrate that this hierarchy accounts for reaction selectivity on both the single crystal surface and under operating catalytic conditions at atmospheric pressure using a nanoporous Au catalyst. A partial set of measurements of relative binding has been measured by others on other catalyst materials, including Ag, Pd and metal oxide surfaces; a comparison demonstrates the generality of this concept and identifies differences in the trends. Theoretical calculations for a subset of reactants on Au(111) show that weak van der Waals interactions are key to predicting the hierarchy of binding strengths for alkoxides bound to Au(111). This hierarchy is key to the control of the selectivity for partial oxidation of alcohols to esters on both Au surfaces and under working catalytic conditions using nanoporous gold. The selectivity depends on the competition for active sites among key intermediates. New results probing the effect of fluorine substitution are also presented to extend the relation of reaction selectivity to the hierarchy of binding. Motivated by an interest in synthetic manipulation of fluorinated organics, we specifically investigated the influence of the –CF₃ group on alcohol reactivity and selectivity. 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol couples on O-covered Au(111) to yield CF₃CH₂O–C(O)(CF₃), but in the presence of methanol or ethanol it preferentially forms the respective 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy-esters. The ester is not the dominant product in any of these cases, though, indicating that the rate of β-H elimination from adsorbed trifluoroethoxy is slower than that for either adsorbed methoxy or ethoxy, consistent with their relative estimated β-C–H bond strengths. The measured equilibrium constants for the competition for binding to the surface are 2.9 and 0.38 for ethanol and methanol, respectively, vs. 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, indicating that the binding strength of 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy is weaker than ethoxy, but stronger than methoxy. These results are consistent with weakening of the interactions between the surface and the alkyl group due to Pauli repulsion of the electron-rich CF₃ group from the surface, which offsets the van der Waals attraction. These experiments provide guiding principles for understanding the effect of fluorination on heterogeneous synthesis and further demonstrate the key role of molecular structure in determining reaction selectivity.

Methyl ester synthesis catalyzed by nanoporous gold: from 10−9 Torr to 1 atm

Highly selective synthesis of methyl esters can be achieved by oxidative coupling of methanol and aldehydes (acetaldehyde, butyraldehyde) under mild conditions using unsupported nanoporous gold catalysts over a wide pressure range (from 10⁻⁹ Torr to 1 atm).