Selective catalytic two-step process for ethylene glycol from carbon monoxide

Upgrading C1 chemicals (for example, CO, CO/H(2), MeOH and CO(2)) with C–C bond formation is essential for the synthesis of bulk chemicals. In general, these industrially important processes (for example, Fischer Tropsch) proceed at drastic reaction conditions (>250 °C; high pressure) and suffer from low selectivity, which makes high capital investment necessary and requires additional purifications. Here, a different strategy for the preparation of ethylene glycol (EG) via initial oxidative coupling and subsequent reduction is presented. Separating coupling and reduction steps allows for a completely selective formation of EG (99%) from CO. This two-step catalytic procedure makes use of a Pd-catalysed oxycarbonylation of amines to oxamides at room temperature (RT) and subsequent Ru- or Fe-catalysed hydrogenation to EG. Notably, in the first step the required amines can be efficiently reused. The presented stepwise oxamide-mediated coupling provides the basis for a new strategy for selective upgrading of C1 chemicals

Homogeneously catalysed conversion of aqueous formaldehyde to H2 and carbonate

Small organic molecules provide a promising solution for the requirement to store large amounts of hydrogen in a future hydrogen-based energy system. Herein, we report that diolefin–ruthenium complexes containing the chemically and redox non-innocent ligand trop2dad catalyse the production of H2 from formaldehyde and water in the presence of a base. The process involves the catalytic conversion to carbonate salt using aqueous solutions and is the fastest reported for acceptorless formalin dehydrogenation to date. A mechanism supported by density functional theory calculations postulates protonation of a ruthenium hydride to form a low-valent active species, the reversible uptake of dihydrogen by the ligand and active participation of both the ligand and the metal in substrate activation and dihydrogen bond formation

The classical twin study and beyond

Twin studies have been a valuable source of information about the genetic basis of complex traits. To maximize the potential of twin studies, large, worldwide registers of data on twins and their relatives have been established. Here, we provide an overview of the current resources for twin research. These can be used to obtain insights into the genetic epidemiology of complex traits and diseases, to study the interaction of genotype with sex, age and lifestyle factors, and to study the causes of co-morbidity between traits and diseases. Because of their design, these registers offer unique opportunities for selected sampling for quantitative trait loci linkage and association studies

The effects of cholesterol and beta-sitosterol on the structure of saturated diacylphosphatidylcholine bilayers

The structures of DMPC and DPPC bilayers in unilamellar liposomes, in the presence of 33.3 mol% cholesterol or the plant sterol β-sitosterol, have been studied by small-angle neutron scattering. The bilayer thickness d(L) increases in a similar way for both sterols. The repeat distance in multilamellar liposomes, as determined by small-angle X-ray diffraction, is larger in the presence of β-sitosterol than in the presence of cholesterol. We observe that each sterol modifies the interlamellar water layer differently, cholesterol reducing its thickness more efficiently than β-sitosterol, and conclude that cholesterol suppresses bilayer undulations more effectively than β-sitosterol