Catalysts, general selectivity

Early catalysts for acrolein synthesis were based on cuprous oxide and other heavy metal oxides deposited on inert siHca or alumina supports (39). Later, catalysts more selective for the oxidation of propylene to acrolein and acrolein to acryHc acid were prepared from bismuth, cobalt, kon, nickel, tin salts, and molybdic, molybdic phosphoric, and molybdic siHcic acids. Preferred second-stage catalysts generally are complex oxides containing molybdenum and vanadium. Other components, such as tungsten, copper, tellurium, and arsenic oxides, have been incorporated to increase low temperature activity and productivity (39,45,46). 

The depropanizer overhead, Cj and lighter feed is compressed to about 300 psi and then passed over a fixed bed of acetylene removal catalyst, generally palladium on alumina. Because of the very large amount of hydrogen contained in this stream, the operating conditions are critical to selectively hydrogenate the acetylene without degrading the valuable ethylene to ethane. 

GP 8[ [R 7] Rhodium catalysts generally show no pronoimced activation phase as given for other catalysts in other reactions [3]. In the first 4 h of operation, methane conversion and hydrogen selectivity increases by only a few percent. After this short and non-pronounced formation phase, no significant changes in activity were determined in the experimental runs for more than 200 h. 

Fe/4.6Si/1.44K/2.0Cu and 100Fe/4.6Si/5.0K/2.0Cu catalysts were found to be 0.92 and 0.94, respectively. Since the amount of Cu was essentially identical in both catalysts and the steady CO conversion rate of the 100Fe/4.6Si/5.0K/2.0Cu catalyst was similar to that of the 100Fe/5.1Si/5.0K catalyst, we postulate that the difference in CO conversion level between the two Cu-promoted catalysts is due primarily to a difference in the K (and perhaps Si) content. In general, selectivities in FTS are compared at a similar CO conversion level for each catalyst. However, wide variations in the CO conversion level in the current study make it difficult to evaluate the effects of different promoters on product selectivity. In spite of the differences in CO conversion rates, an effort was made to qualitatively compare the promotional effect of Cu and K on product selectivity at similar, or nearly similar, CO conversion levels. 

We selected a series of rhodium(II) carboxylates, rhodium(II) carboxamidate [5d] (Doyle catalysts 42h, 42i, 42j), and the bridged rhodium(II) carboxylate (Lahuerta catalyst) 42g, as representatives of the various rhodium(II) catalysts generally utilized. Most of the carboxylate and Doyle catalysts were commercially available and were purified by silica gel chromatography prior to use. The Lahuerta catalyst was prepared according to the literature procedure [23]. 

The importance of catalyst stability is often underestimated not only in academia but also in many sectors of industry, notably in the fine chemicals industry, where high selectivities are the main objective (1). Catalyst deactivation is inevitable, but it can be retarded and some of its consequences avoided (2). Deactivation itself is a complex phenomenon. For instance, active sites might be poisoned by feed impurities, reactants, intermediates and products (3). Other causes of catalyst deactivation are particle sintering, metal and support leaching, attrition and deposition of inactive materials on the catalyst surface (4). Catalyst poisons are usually substances, whose interaction with the active surface sites is very strong and irreversible, whereas inhibitors generally weakly and reversibly adsorb on the catalyst surface. Selective poisons are sometimes used intentionally to adjust the selectivity of a particular reaction (2). 

Activated aziridines should be as useful as epoxides for carbon-carbon bond formation, with the advantage that the product will already incorporated the desired secondary aminated stercocentcr. To date, a general enantioselective method for the aziridination of alkcncs has not been developed. Eric Jacobsen of Harvard University (Angew. Chem. hit. Ed. 2004,43, 3952) has explored an interim solution, based on the resolution of racemic epoxides such as I. The cobalt catalyst that selectively hydrolyzes one enantiomer of the epoxide also promotes the addition of the imidc to the remaining enantiomerically-enriched epoxide. As expected, the aziridine 4 is opened smoothly with dialkyl cuprates. 

Fig. 8.1. Generalized selection cycle for in vitro evolution of an RNA catalyst. Random libraries are PCR-amplified, transcribed, modified with a tethered reactant, reacted with a second substrate in solution, and reverse-transcribed. Active RNA/cDNA library constructs are separated from inactive ones so that they can enter the next cycle of selection.

Fu and co-workers have detailed the use of planar chiral DMAP and PPY analogs as catalysts for the resolution of secondary unsaturated alcohols (Fig. 1) [15]. Both ferrocene and ruthenocene-based catalysts have been examined, with the iron-based catalysts generally proving less reactive but more selective [16]. Catalysts are prepared in racemic form and are subsequently resolved by preparative chiral HPLC. 

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