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Activation of Small Molecules: Challenges and Solutions

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 9549

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect 47, 119991 Moscow, Russia
2. Chemistry Department, Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1, Bldg. 3, 119992 Moscow, Russia
3. Institute of Ecology and Engineering, National Science and Technology University MISiS, Leninsky Prospect 4, 119071 Moscow, Russia
Interests: catalysis; nanomaterials; renewables; green chemistry
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure for me to invite you to submit a manuscript to the Special Issue " Activation of Small Molecules: Challenges and Solutions", which will be published in the MDPI journal Molecules.

This Special Issue will focus on interdisciplinary state-of-the-art research articles, communications, and reviews related to various aspects of the utilization of small molecules, especially using nanomaterials as catalysts. The specific aspect of the Special Issue is the catalytic conversion of molecules such as CO2, CH4, C2H6, as well as other small molecules. Approaches that may result in a significant improvement of the efficiency of the conversion/utilization of small molecules into valuable products compared to the conventional technologies are especially welcome. Of special interest, of course, are nanomaterials, since their catalytic activity/selectivity pattern is size-dependent and may be quite different depending on the morphology of the nanoparticles. The incentive of this Special Issue is to show the progress and to reveal new aspects in the broad field of the utilization of small molecules using nanomaterials. Combining individual contributions from these areas will allow us to produce the journal Issue with a high impact. Thus, submissions focused on any novel approaches and materials and their novel applications, which disclose the enhancement of the efficiency of the conversion of small molecules into value-added products, are cordially invited.

Please note that Molecules is an open-access journal, and the whole Special Issue will be freely available for all readers across the world. Information about open-access options and conditions is provided at the journal website.

Prof. Dr. Leonid Kustov
Guest Editor

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Catalysis
  • Carbon dioxide conversion
  • Methane conversion
  • Ethane conversion
  • Small molecules.

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1146 KiB  
Article
Ethanol to Acetaldehyde Conversion under Thermal and Microwave Heating of ZnO-CuO-SiO2 Modified with WC Nanoparticles
by Alexander L. Kustov, Andrey L. Tarasov, Olga P. Tkachenko, Igor V. Mishin, Gennady I. Kapustin and Leonid M. Kustov
Molecules 2021, 26(7), 1955; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26071955 - 31 Mar 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2324
Abstract
The nonoxidative conversion of ethanol to acetaldehyde under thermal and microwave heating was studied on mixed oxide ZnO-CuO-SiO2 catalysts modified with additives of tungsten carbide nanoparticles. The results revealed that the WC-modified catalyst exhibited superior activity and selectivity under microwave heating conditions. [...] Read more.
The nonoxidative conversion of ethanol to acetaldehyde under thermal and microwave heating was studied on mixed oxide ZnO-CuO-SiO2 catalysts modified with additives of tungsten carbide nanoparticles. The results revealed that the WC-modified catalyst exhibited superior activity and selectivity under microwave heating conditions. It is assumed that when microwave heating is used, hot zones can appear at the contact points of WC nanoparticles and active centers of the mixed oxide ZnO-CuO-SiO2 catalyst, which intensively absorb microwave energy, allowing the more efficient formation of acetaldehyde at moderate temperatures. Thermodynamic calculations of equilibrium concentrations of reagents and products allowed us to identify the optimal conditions for effective acetaldehyde production. The initial catalyst and the catalyst prepared by the coprecipitation of the oxides with the addition of WC were characterized by physicochemical methods (TPR-H2, XRD, DRIFTS of adsorbed CO). The active centers of the oxide catalyst can be Cu+ cations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Activation of Small Molecules: Challenges and Solutions)
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25 pages, 8407 KiB  
Article
Oxidation of Dichloromethane over Au, Pt, and Pt-Au Containing Catalysts Supported on γ-Al2O3 and CeO2-Al2O3
by Tuomas K. Nevanperä, Satu Pitkäaho, Satu Ojala and Riitta L. Keiski
Molecules 2020, 25(20), 4644; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25204644 - 12 Oct 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3269
Abstract
Au, Pt, and Pt-Au catalysts supported on Al2O3 and CeO2-Al2O3 were studied in the oxidation of dichloromethane (DCM, CH2Cl2). High DCM oxidation activities and HCl selectivities were seen with all the [...] Read more.
Au, Pt, and Pt-Au catalysts supported on Al2O3 and CeO2-Al2O3 were studied in the oxidation of dichloromethane (DCM, CH2Cl2). High DCM oxidation activities and HCl selectivities were seen with all the catalysts. With the addition of Au, remarkably lower light-off temperatures were observed as they were reduced by 70 and 85 degrees with the Al2O3-supported and by 35 and 40 degrees with the CeO2-Al2O3-supported catalysts. Excellent HCl selectivities close to 100% were achieved with the Au/Al2O3 and Pt-Au/Al2O3 catalysts. The addition of ceria on alumina decreased the total acidity of these catalysts, resulting in lower performance. The 100-h stability test showed that the Pt-Au/Al2O3 catalyst was active and durable, but the selectivity towards the total oxidation products needs improvement. The results suggest that, with the Au-containing Al2O3-supported catalysts, DCM decomposition mainly occurs via direct DCM hydrolysis into formaldehyde and HCl followed by the oxidation of formaldehyde into CO and CO2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Activation of Small Molecules: Challenges and Solutions)
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11 pages, 1483 KiB  
Article
N2O Decomposition over Fe-ZSM-5: A Systematic Study in the Generation of Active Sites
by Bryan Bromley, Chiara Pischetola, Linda Nikoshvili, Fernando Cárdenas-Lizana and Lioubov Kiwi-Minsker
Molecules 2020, 25(17), 3867; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25173867 - 25 Aug 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2936
Abstract
We have carried out a systematic investigation of the critical activation parameters (i.e., final temperature (673–1273 K), atmosphere (He vs. O2/He), and final isothermal hold (1 min–15 h) on the generation of “α-sites”, responsible for the direct N2 [...] Read more.
We have carried out a systematic investigation of the critical activation parameters (i.e., final temperature (673–1273 K), atmosphere (He vs. O2/He), and final isothermal hold (1 min–15 h) on the generation of “α-sites”, responsible for the direct N2O decomposition over Fe-ZSM-5 (Fe content = 1200–2300 ppm). The concentration of α-sites was determined by (ia) transient response of N2O and (ib) CO at 523 K, and (ii) temperature programmed desorption (TPD) following nitrous oxide decomposition. Transient response analysis was consistent with decomposition of N2O to generate (i) “active” α-oxygen that participates in the low-temperature CO→CO2 oxidation and (ii) “non-active” oxygen strongly adsorbed that is not released during TPD. For the first time, we were able to quantify the formation of α-sites, which requires a high temperature (>973) treatment of Fe-ZSM-5 in He over a short period of time (<1 h). In contrast, prolonged high temperature treatment (1273 K) and the presence of O2 in the feed irreversibly reduced the amount of active sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Activation of Small Molecules: Challenges and Solutions)
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