Uffe Vie Mentzel

Formation of imines by selective gold-catalysed aerobic oxidative coupling of alcohols and amines under ambient conditions

The formation of imines by aerobic oxidative coupling of mixtures of alcohols and amines was studied using gold nanoparticles supported on titanium dioxide, TiO2, as a heterogeneous catalyst. The reactions were performed at ambient conditions (room temperature and atmospheric pressure) and occurred with excellent selectivity (above 98%) at moderate conversion under optimized conditions. The effect of catalytic amounts of different bases was studied, along with reaction temperature and time. Utilisation of a selective catalyst system that uses dioxygen as an oxidant and only produces water as by-product represents a new green reaction protocol for imine formation.

Oxidations of amines with molecular oxygen using bifunctional gold–titania catalysts

Over the past decades it has become clear that supported gold nanoparticles are surprisingly active and selective catalysts for several green oxidation reactions of oxygen-containing hydrocarbons using molecular oxygen as the stoichiometric oxidant. We here report that bifunctional gold–titania catalysts can be employed to facilitate the oxidation of amines into amides with high selectivity. Furthermore, we report that pure titania is in fact itself a catalyst for the oxidation of amines with molecular oxygen under very mild conditions. We demonstrate that these new methodologies open up for two new and environmentally benign routes to caprolactam and cyclohexanone oxime, both of which are precursors for nylon-6.

One-pot synthesis of amides by aerobic oxidative coupling of alcohols or aldehydes with amines using supported gold and base as catalysts

Synthesis of amides by aerobic oxidative coupling of alcohols or aldehydes with amines via intermediate formation of methyl esters is highly efficient and selective when using a catalytic system comprised of supported gold nanoparticles and added base in methanol.

High Yield of Liquid Range Olefins Obtained by Converting i-Propanol over Zeolite H-ZSM-5

Methanol, ethanol, and i-propanol were converted under methanol-to-gasoline (MTH)-like conditions (400 degrees C, 1-20 bar) over zeolite H-ZSM-5. For methanol and ethanol, the catalyst lifetimes and conversion capacities are comparable, but when i-propanol is used as the reactant, the catalyst lifetime is increased dramatically. In fact, the total conversion capacity (calculated as the total amount of alcohol converted before deactivation in g(alcohol)/g(zeolite)) is more than 25 times higher for i-propanol compared to the lower alcohols. Furthermore, when i-propanol is used as the reactant, the selectivity toward alkanes and aromatics declines rapidly over time on stream, and at 20 bar of pressure the liquid product mixture consists almost exclusively of C(4)-C(12) alkenes after approximately a third of the full reaction time. This discovery could open a new route to hydrocarbons via i-propanol from syn-gas or biobased feedstocks.

An alternative pathway for production of acetonitrile: ruthenium catalysed aerobic dehydrogenation of ethylamine

The oxidative synthesis of acetonitrile from ethylamine was studied using a supported ruthenium catalyst. The reaction was conducted in both batch and flow processes and high conversions (over 85%) were achieved in both cases. Selectivity of both reactions was improved by optimisation of reaction conditions, achieving over 90% selectivity in the batch process and 80% selectivity in the continuous flow process. The use of a selective solid catalyst that utilises a feedstock that can be derived from biomass, dioxygen as the oxidant and water as the solvent represents a new, green route for the independent and efficient production of acetonitrile.

Mesoporous MEL, BEA, and FAU zeolite crystals obtained by in situ formation of carbon template over metal nanoparticles

Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of hierarchical zeolite materials with MEL, BEA and FAU structures. The synthesis is based on the carbon templating method with an in situ-generated carbon template. Through the decomposition of methane and deposition of coke over nickel nanoparticles supported on silica, a carbon–silica composite is obtained and exploited as a combined carbon template/silica source for the zeolite synthesis. The mesoporous zeolite materials were all prepared by hydrothermal crystallization in alkaline media followed by removal of the carbon template by combustion, which results in zeolite single crystals with intracrystalline pore volumes of up to 0.44 cm3 g−1. The prepared zeolite structures are characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and N2 physisorption measurements.