The mechanism and origins of Z-selectivity in olefin metathesis with chelated Ru catalysts were explored using density functional theory. The olefin approaches from the "side" position of the chelated Ru catalysts, in contrast to reactions with previous unchelated Ru catalysts that favor the bottom-bound pathway. Steric repulsions between the substituents on the olefin and the N-substituent on ...

Two new Ru-based metathesis catalysts, 3 and 4, have been synthesized for the purpose of comparing their catalytic properties to those of their cis-selective nitrate analogues, 1 and 2. Although catalysts 3 and 4 exhibited slower initiation rates than 1 and 2, they maintained high cis-selectivity in homodimerization and ring-opening metathesis polymerization reactions. Furthermore, the nitrite ...

Simple chemical catalysts have been designed to achieve some desirable features of enzymes. These novel catalysts are not proteins, but they may incorporate the typical enzyme catalytic groups and they achieve selectivity in their reactions by use of geometric control, as do enzymes. Catalysts that carry out geometrically controlled chlorinations of aromatic rings and steroids have been constru...

In contrast to solid acid catalysts, much fewer efforts have been made to study solid base catalysts. In this thesis, preparation, characterization and application of oxides and modified oxide as solid base catalysts were studied. The catalysts include MgO prepared by different methods, potassium-modified ZrO2, calcined Mg-Al hydrotalcites, and a novel catalyst system Mg(O,F), which was prepare...

The selective oxidation of propylene with O2 to propylene oxide and acrolein is of great interest and importance. We report the crystal-plane-controlled selectivity of uniform capping-ligand-free Cu2 O octahedra, cubes, and rhombic dodecahedra in catalyzing propylene oxidation with O2 : Cu2 O octahedra exposing {111} crystal planes are most selective for acrolein; Cu2 O cubes exposing {100} cry...

Tuning the interfacial perimeter and structure is crucial to understanding the origin of catalytic performance. This paper describes the design, characterization, and application of CeO2 modified Au@SBA-15 (Au-CeO2@SBA-15) catalysts in selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol. The reaction results showed that Au-CeO2@SBA-15 catalysts exhibited higher catalytic activity compared with Au@SBA-15 and ...

A series of bulk oxides (Sb2O3, Sb2O4, VSbO4, and V2O5) and alumina-supported oxides (Sb-O, V-O, and Sb-V-O) were synthesized by conventional methods. The resulting catalysts were characterized with XRD, BET, Raman, and CH3OH-temperature programmed surface reaction (TPSR) spectroscopy. XRD and Raman spectroscopy confirmed that the bulk oxides are present as crystalline phases and the alumina-su...

Ag/SiO2 prepared by an in situ reduction method are found, for the first time, to be highly effective and recyclable catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of a range of chloronitrobenzes to their corresponding chloroanilines, which are of great potential as industrially viable and cheap novel catalysts for the production of chloroanilines.

Simple catalysts that use atom-economical oxygen as the terminal oxidant to accomplish selective ortho-ortho, ortho-para, or para-para homo-couplings of phenols are described. In addition, chromium salen catalysts have been discovered as uniquely effective in the cross-coupling of different phenols with high chemo- and regioselectivity.