Heterogeneous catalysis often involves charge transfer from catalyst surface to adsorbed molecules, whose activity thus depends on the surface charge density of catalysts. Here, we demonstrate a unique solution-phase approach to achieve controllable interfacial lengths in oxide-metal hybrid structures. Resulting from their different work functions, surface polarization is induced by the Ag-CuO ...

A copper complex has proven to be a potent catalyst for forming a C-B bond via diborylation of arynes and alkynes, affording vic-diborylarenes and vic-diborylalkenes with high efficiency. A boryl-substituted organocopper species, which is intermediately generated in the diborylation, has been found to be captured by a tin or a carbon electrophile, leading to three-component borylstannylation or...

In this work, a simple method for alcohol synthesis with high enantiomeric purity was proposed. For this, colloidal gold and silver surface modifications with 3-mercaptopropanoic acid and cysteamine were used to generate carboxyl and amine functionalized gold and silver nanoparticles of 15 and 45 nm, respectively. Alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobium brockii (TbADH) and its cofactor (NAD...

A stereoselective one-pot synthesis of spiropyrazolones through an organocatalytic asymmetric Michael addition and a formal Conia-ene reaction has been developed. Depending on the nitroalkene, the 5-exo-dig-cyclization could be achieved by silver-catalyzed alkyne activation or by oxidation of the intermediate enolate. The mechanistic pathways have been investigated using computational chemistry...

An enantioselective one-pot Michael addition/hydroalkoxylation reaction between 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones and alkyne-tethered nitroalkenes catalyzed by a cinchona-derived squaramide and a silver(I) salt has been developed. The sequential protocol provides a direct access to 4H-pyranonaphthoquinones in moderate to very good yields and good to excellent enantioselectivities at a very low cata...

Extensive density-functional theory calculations, and taking into account temperature and pressure, afford a comprehensive picture of the behavior and interaction of oxygen and Ag(111), and provides valuable insight into the function of silver as an oxidation catalyst. The obtained phase diagram reveals the most stable species present in a given environment and thus identifies (and excludes) po...

Self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formation of alkanethiols on nanoparticle surfaces is an extensively studied surface reaction. But the nanoscale aspects of the rich microscopic kinetics of this reaction may remain hidden due to ensemble-averaging in colloidal samples, which is why we investigated in real-time how alkanethiol SAMs form on a single Ag nanoparticle. From single-nanoparticle traject...

Morphology is a primary part of designing metal nanocrystals and nanomaterials with controlled functional properties. Here, we demonstrate the potential of foreign sulfate ions to tune the silver dendrites to highly branched chains through a simple galvanic replacement reaction without introducing any organic surfactants. We further illustrate the underlying mechanism according to diffusion-lim...

A self-switchable polymer reactor with a hyperbranched structure for controlled catalytic chemistry processes is reported. This polymer reactor was made of silver nanoparticles and a polymer carrier consisting of hyperbranched polyethylenimine and hydroxyethyl acrylate that behaved as thermally switchable domains. Below the transfer temperature, relatively strong catalytic reactivity was demons...

The reaction between MO and NaBH4 catalyzed by Ag NPs has been studied. Ag NPs catalyzed the reduction of MO rapidly, while adding CTAB into the solution caused the regeneration of MO. Thus, reversible catalysis for the reaction between MO and NaBH4 by Ag NPs was discovered for the first time.