Selective conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to cyclopentanone derivatives over Cu-Al2O3 and Co-Al2O3 catalysts in water

The production of cyclopentanone derivatives from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) using non-noble metal based catalysts is reported for the first time. Five different mixed oxides containing Ni, Cu, Co, Zn and Mg phases on an Al-rich amorphous support were prepared and characterised (XRD, ICP, SEM, TEM, H2-TPR, NH3/CO2-TPD and N2 sorption). The synthesised materials resulted in well-dispersed high metal loadings in a mesoporous network, exhibiting acid/base properties. The catalytic performance was tested in a batch stirred reactor under H2 pressure (20–50 bar) in the range T = 140–180 °C. The Cu–Al2O3 and the Co–Al2O3 catalysts showed a highly selective production of 3-hydroxymethylcyclopentanone (HCPN, 86%) and 3-hydroxymethylcyclopentanol (HCPL, 94%), respectively. A plausible reaction mechanism is proposed, clarifying the role of the reduced metal phases and the acid/basic sites on the main conversion pathways. Both Cu–Al2O3 and Co–Al2O3 catalysts showed a loss of activity after the first run, which can be reversed by a regeneration treatment. The results establish an efficient catalytic route for the production of the diol HCPL (reported for the first time) and the ketone HCPN from bio-derived HMF over 3d transition metals based catalysts in an environmental friendly medium such as water

How reproducible are surface areas calculated from the BET equation?

Porosity and surface area analysis play a prominent role in modern materials science. At the heart of this sits the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) theory, which has been a remarkably successful contribution to the field of materials science. The BET method was developed in the 1930s for open surfaces but is now the most widely used metric for the estimation of surface areas of micro- and mesoporous materials. Despite its widespread use, the calculation of BET surface areas causes a spread in reported areas, resulting in reproducibility problems in both academia and industry. To prove this, for this analysis, 18 already-measured raw adsorption isotherms were provided to sixty-one labs, who were asked to calculate the corresponding BET areas. This round-robin exercise resulted in a wide range of values. Here, the reproducibility of BET area determination from identical isotherms is demonstrated to be a largely ignored issue, raising critical concerns over the reliability of reported BET areas. To solve this major issue, a new computational approach to accurately and systematically determine the BET area of nanoporous materials is developed. The software, called "BET surface identification" (BETSI), expands on the well-known Rouquerol criteria and makes an unambiguous BET area assignment possible

In-MOFs based on amide functionalised flexible linkers

Two new amide functionalised metal–organic frameworks, In(OH)CSA and In(OH)PDG, were synthesized using two flexible linkers, N-(4-carboxyphenyl)succinamic acid (CSA) and N,N′-(1,4-phenylenedicarbonyl)diglycine (PDG), respectively. Both structures consist of corner-sharing {InO4(OH)2} octahedra in the form of trans indium hydroxide chains, which are interconnected by the dicarboxylate linkers to form stacked 2-dimensional layers. The different symmetries and configurations of the flexible and rigid features on the linkers results in different supramolecular interactions dominating between linkers, resulting in different shaped pores and functional group orientation. In(OH)CSA lacks hydrogen bonding between linkers, which results in close packing between the layers and very small solvent accessible pores running perpendicular to the plane of the layers. In(OH)PDG exhibits strong intra- and interlayer hydrogen bonding, which prevents the layers from close packing and results in larger cylindrical pores running parallel to the indium hydroxide chains, producing a total accessible volume of 25% of the unit cell volume.</p

Encapsulation of an organometallic cationic catalyst by direct exchange into an anionic MOF

Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are porous crystalline materials that have emerged as promising hosts for the heterogenization of homogeneous organometallic catalysts, forming hybrid materials which combine the benefits of both classes of catalysts. Herein, we report the encapsulation of the organometallic cationic Lewis acidic catalyst [CpFe(CO)2(L)]+ ([Fp–L]+, Cp = η5-C5H5, L = weakly bound solvent) inside the pores of the anionic [Et4N]3[In3(BTC)4] MOF (H3BTC = benzenetricarboxylic acid) via a direct one-step cation exchange process. To conclusively validate this methodology, initially [Cp2Co]+ was used as an inert spatial probe to (i) test the stability of the selected host; (ii) monitor the stoichiometry of the cation exchange process and (iii) assess pore dimensions, spatial location of the cationic species and guest-accessible space by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Subsequently, the quasi-isosteric [Fp–L]+ was encapsulated inside the pores via partial cation exchange to form [(Fp–L)0.6(Et4N)2.4][In3(BTC)4]. The latter was rigorously characterized and benchmarked as a heterogeneous catalyst in a simple Diels–Alder reaction, thus verifying the integrity and reactivity of the encapsulated molecular catalyst. These results provide a platform for the development of heterogeneous catalysts with chemically and spatially well-defined catalytic sites by direct exchange of cationic catalysts into anionic MOFs

Guest-Adaptable and Water-Stable Peptide-Based Porous Materials by Imidazolate Side Chain Control

The peptide‐based porous 3D framework, ZnCar, has been synthesized from Zn2+ and the natural dipeptide carnosine (β‐alanyl‐L ‐histidine). Unlike previous extended peptide networks, the imidazole side chain of the histidine residue is deprotonated to afford Zn–imidazolate chains, with bonding similar to the zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) family of porous materials. ZnCar exhibits permanent microporosity with a surface area of 448 m2 g−1, and its pores are 1D channels with 5 Å openings and a characteristic chiral shape. This compound is chemically stable in organic solvents and water. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the ZnCar framework adapts to MeOH and H2O guests because of the torsional flexibility of the main His‐β‐Ala chain, while retaining the rigidity conferred by the Zn–imidazolate chains. The conformation adopted by carnosine is driven by the H bonds formed both to other dipeptides and to the guests, permitting the observed structural transformations