Acetic acid conversion to ketene on Cu2O(1 0 0): Reaction mechanism deduced from experimental observations and theoretical computations

Ketene, a versatile reagent in production of fine and specialty chemicals, is produced from acetic acid. We investigate the synthesis of ketene from acetic acid over the (3,0;1,1) surface of Cu2O(1 0 0) through analysis of the adsorption and desorption characteristics of formic and acetic acids. The results allow us to establish a reaction mechanism for ketene formation. Observations from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning tunneling microscopy, and temperature programmed desorption (TPD), supported by a comparison with formic acid results, suggest that acetic acid reacts with Cu2O through deprotonation to form acetate species coordinated to copper sites and hydroxylation of nearby surface oxygen sites. For formic acid the decomposition of adsorbed formate species results in desorption of CO2 and CO while, for acetic acid, high yields of ketene are observed at temperature >500 K. Modeling by density functional theory (DFT) confirms the strong interaction of acetic acid with the (3,0;1,1) surface and the spontaneous dissociation into adsorbed acetate and hydrogen atom species, the latter forming an OH-group. In an identified reaction intermediate ketene binds via all C and O atoms to Cu surface sites, in agreement with interpretations from XPS. In the vicinity of the adsorbate the surface experiences a local reorganization into a c(2 7 2) reconstruction. The total computed energy barrier for ketene formation is 1.81 eV in good agreement with the 1.74 eV obtained from TPD analysis. Our experimental observations and mechanistic DFT studies suggests that Cu2O can operate as an efficient catalyst for the green generation of ketene from acetic acid

The CoESCA station at BESSY: Auger electron–photoelectron coincidences from surfaces demonstrated for Ag MNN

In this work, we present the CoESCA station for electron–electron coincidence spectroscopy from surfaces, built in a close collaboration between Uppsala University and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin at the BESSY II synchrotron facility in Berlin, Germany. We start with a detailed overview of previous work in the field of electron–electron coincidences, before we describe the CoESCA setup and its design parameters. The system is capable of recording shot-to-shot resolved 6D coincidence datasets, i.e. the kinetic energy and the two take off angles for both coincident electrons. The mathematics behind extracting and analysing these multi-dimensional coincidence datasets is introduced, with a focus on coincidence statistics, resulting in fundamental limits of the signal-to-noise ratio and its implications for acquisition times and the size of the raw data stream. The functionality of the CoESCA station is demonstrated for the example of Auger electron–photoelectron coincidences from silver surfaces for photoelectrons from the Ag 3d core levels and their corresponding MNN Auger electrons. The Auger spectra originating from the different core levels, 3d and 3d could be separated and further, the two-hole state energy distributions were determined for these Auger decay channels

Influence of the magnetic sublattices in the double perovskite LaCaNiReO6

The magnetism of double perovskites is a complex phenomenon, determined from intra- or interatomic magnetic moment interactions, and strongly influenced by geometry. We take advantage of the complementary length and timescales of the muon spin rotation, relaxation, and resonance (μ+SR) microscopic technique and bulk ac/dc magnetic susceptibility measurements to study the magnetic phases of the LaCaNiReO6 double perovskite. As a result, we are able to discern and report ferrimagnetic ordering below TC=102K and the formation of different magnetic domains above TC. Between TC<T<270K, the following two magnetic environments appear, a dense spin region and a static-dilute spin region. The paramagnetic state is obtained only above T>270K. An evolution of the interaction between Ni and Re magnetic sublattices, in this geometrically frustrated fcc perovskite structure, is revealed as a function of temperature through the critical behavior and thermal evolution of microscopic and macroscopic physical quantities

Analyse des pertes d’énergie par excitation de plasmons et de transitions inter-bandes dans le spectre HAXPES (P 1s) du Phosphore noir

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Quantitative analysis of plasmon excitations in hard x-ray photoelectron spectra of bulk black phosphorus

International audienceBlack phosphorus (BPh) is a layered material with strong in-plane anisotropy of its structural and electronic properties; in spite of the great potential of BPh for conceptually new devices in optoelectronics and plasmonics, its fundamental electronic excitations have not yet been fully elucidated. In order to discriminate collective (plasmons) and single-particle (inter band transitions) excitations, we investigate the energy-loss distribution of P 1s photoelectrons in hard X-ray photoelectron spectra of BPh over a wide energy range. The energy-loss function (ELF), averaged over the principal directions of the BPh crystal, has been retrieved by using a Fourier Transform analysis to eliminate multiple inelastic scattering events. At low loss energies (1-8 eV), weak unresolved energy loss peaks are well described by DFT calculated inter band transitions, showing some anisotropy in the dielectric function ε(ω,q) tensor of BPh. At high loss energies, the ELF is dominated by the collective excitation of valence electrons with a peak energy at 20.1±0.2 eV, and weak anisotropy is found in the DFT calculated Im(-1/ε) tensor. The anomalously small peak energy (9.0±0.5 eV) of a weak surface plasmon resonance is attributed either to low surface electron density in the terminal phosphorene layer or to some anisotropic surface plasmon propagation

In Situ Formation of Ge Nanoparticles by Annealing of Al-Ge-N Thin Films Followed by HAXPES and XRD

Ge nanoparticles embedded in thin films have attracted a lot of attention due to their promising optical and electronic properties that can be tuned by varying the particle size and choice of matrix material. In this study, Ge nanoparticle formation was investigated for Al-Ge-N based thin films by simultaneous measurements of HAXPES and grazing incidence XRD during in situ annealing in vacuum conditions. As-deposited Al-Ge-N thin films, synthesized by reactive dc magnetron sputtering, consisted of a nanocrystalline (Al1-xGex)Ny solid solution and an amorphous tissue phase of Ge3Ny. Upon annealing to 750 °C, elemental Ge was formed shown by both HAXPES and XRD measurements, and N2 gas was released as measured by a mass spectrometer. Postannealed ex situ analysis by SEM and TEM showed that the elemental Ge phase formed spherical nanoparticles on the surface of the film, with an average size of 210 nm. As the annealing temperature increased further to 850 °C, the Ge particles on the film surface evaporated, while the phase segregation of Ge still could be observed within the film. Thus, these results show the possibility for a controlled synthesis of Ge nanoparticles through annealing of Al-Ge-N thin films to produce materials suitable for use in electronic or optoelectronic devices

Rare and low-frequency coding variants alter human adult height

Height is a highly heritable, classic polygenic trait with approximately 700 common associated variants identified through genome-wide association studies so far. Here, we report 83 height-associated coding variants with lower minor-allele frequencies (in the range of 0.1-4.8%) and effects of up to 2 centimetres per allele (such as those in IHH, STC2, AR and CRISPLD2), greater than ten times the average effect of common variants. In functional follow-up studies, rare height-increasing alleles of STC2 (giving an increase of 1-2 centimetres per allele) compromised proteolytic inhibition of PAPP-A and increased cleavage of

Novel loci for adiponectin levels and their influence on type 2 diabetes and metabolic traits: A multi-ethnic meta-analysis of 45,891 individuals

Circulating levels of adiponectin, a hormone produced predominantly by adipocytes, are highly heritable and are inversely associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and other metabolic traits. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in 39,883 individuals of European ancestry to identify genes associated with metabolic disease. We identified 8 novel loci associated with adiponectin levels and confirmed 2 previously reported loci (P = 4.5×10−8- 1.2 ×10−43). Using a novel method to combine data across ethnicities (N = 4,232 African Americans, N = 1,776 Asians, and N = 29,347 Europeans), we identified two additional novel loci. Expression analyses of 436 human adipocyte samples revealed that mRNA levels of 18 genes at candidate regions were associated with adiponectin concentrations after accounting for multiple testing (p<3×10−4). We next developed a multi-SNP genotypic risk score to test the association of adiponectin decreasing risk alleles on metabolic traits and diseases using consortia-level meta-analytic data. This risk score was associated with increased risk of T2D (p = 4.3×10−3, n = 22,044), increased triglycerides (p = 2.6×10−14, n = 93,440), increased waist-to-hip ratio (p = 1.8×10−5, n = 77,167), increased glucose two hours post oral glucose tolerance testing (p = 4.4×10−3, n = 15,234), increased fasting insulin (p = 0.015, n = 48,238), but with lower in HDL- cholesterol concentrations (p = 4.5×10−13, n = 96,748) and decreased BMI (p = 1.4×10−4, n = 121,335). These findings identify novel genetic determinants of adiponectin levels, which, taken together, influence risk of T2D and markers of insulin resistance