MAGNETIC BEHAVIOR OF ODD- AND EVEN-ELECTRON METAL CARBONYL CLUSTERS: THE CASE STUDY OF [Co8Pt4C2(CO)24]n− ( n = 1, 2) CARBIDE CLUSTER

The reaction of [Co6C(CO)15]2- with two equivalents of PtCl2(Et2S)2 affords the new heterobimetallic carbonyl cluster [Co8Pt4C2(CO)24]2-. Such a dianion undergoes reversible chemical and electrochemical oxidation and reduction processes disclosing a complete series of [Co8Pt4C2(CO)24]n- (n = 1-4) clusters. The mono- and dianions have been isolated as their tetra-substituted ammonium salts and fully characterized by means of IR, 13C NMR, ESI-MS, and X-ray crystallography. Variable-temperature (VT) solid-state EPR studies on pure crystalline samples indicate that both [Co8Pt4C2(CO)24]2- and [Co8Pt4C2(CO)24]-• are paramagnetic, due to a doublet state of the latter and a triplet state of [Co8Pt4C2(CO)24]2-. This conclusion is supported by SQUID measurements on the same crystalline sample of [Co8Pt4C2(CO)24]2-. The present study indisputably demonstrates that even-electron transition metal carbonyl clusters (TMCC) can be magnetic

Nano-sized Au/FeOx catalysts for environmental applications

In the literature there are several studies concerning the use of gold-based catalysts for environmental applications. It has been recently reported that gold catalysts exhibit high performance in the deep oxidation of different molecules and are potentially capable of being employed in fuel cells for CO traces removal by preferential CO oxidation in H2-rich streams (PROX reaction) [1-2]. Several studies demonstrated the addition of an iron component to gold supported catalysts brings a beneficial effect in terms of enhanced activity, selectivity and resistance to deactivation. Thus, we designed catalysts containing iron stabilized gold nanoparticles with a controlled size and an intimate contact between gold and iron using bimetallic carbonyl clusters as precursors of the active phase [3]. Carbonyl metal clusters are, in fact, quite attractive since their chemistry is well developed, they can be prepared with different sizes and composition and be decomposed under very mild conditions

Design of nano-sized FeOx and Au/FeOx supported catalysts for total oxidation of VOC and preferential oxidation of CO

A novel preparation method was developed for the preparation of iron and gold/iron supported catalysts using metallic carbonyl clusters as precursors of highly dispersed nanoparticles over TiO2 and CeO2. A series of catalysts with different metal loadings were prepared and tested in the complete oxidation of methanol and the preferential oxidation of CO in the presence of H2 (PROX) as model reactions. The characterization by BET, XRD, TEM, H2-TPR, ICP-AES and XPS spotlights the interaction between Au and Fe and their influence on the catalytic activity