Surface catalytic activity

The rate of a catalytic reaction depends on the rate of diffusion of both substrates and products to and from the catalytic sites. Therefore it is of outmost importance that the catalytically active sites are freely accessible for reactions. Only dendrimers of low generation number can possibly be expected to be suitable carriers for catalytically active sites, especially when these are located in the interior. In high-generation dendrimers with crowded surfaces catalytic activity of an internal site would be prevented. On the other hand, a crowded surface will not only hinder access to an interior ligand site but will also cause steric hindrance between groups attached to it and thus prevent high reactivity of sites at the periphery. 

Hydroformylation reactions are important from the industrial point of view and the two commonly used hydroformylation catalysts are either Rh or Co based. We thought it would be interesting to anchor a SiOs unit on a cobalt cluster via hydrosilylation. This would be a close model to a silica-supported cobalt cluster. Secondly, since the reactions of silanetriols have been demonstrated to afford three-dimensional metallasiloxanes, we anticipated that this silanetriol would react with substrates such as trialkylaluminums, affording cobalt carbonyl cluster anchored aluminosiloxanes. Such compounds would resemble a modified zeolite having on its surface catalytically active cobalt carbonyl moieties and might inspire the preparation of actual zeolite systems with these modifications. 

Quantum size effect Single electron tunneling Surface catalytic activity Mechanical strength Energy conversion Nano-confinement effect... 

Enzymes are important catalysts in biological organisms and are of increasing use in detergents and sensors. It is of interest to understand not only their adsorption characteristics but also their catalytic activity on the surface. The interplay between adsorption and deactivation has been clearly illustrated [119] as has the ability of a protein to cleave a surface-bound substrate [120]. 

The components in catalysts called promoters lack significant catalytic activity tliemselves, but tliey improve a catalyst by making it more active, selective, or stable. A chemical promoter is used in minute amounts (e.g., parts per million) and affects tlie chemistry of tlie catalysis by influencing or being part of tlie catalytic sites. A textural (structural) promoter, on tlie otlier hand, is used in massive amounts and usually plays a role such as stabilization of tlie catalyst, for instance, by reducing tlie tendency of tlie porous material to collapse or sinter and lose internal surface area, which is a mechanism of deactivation. 

It turned out that the dodecylsulfate surfactants Co(DS)i Ni(DS)2, Cu(DS)2 and Zn(DS)2 containing catalytically active counterions are extremely potent catalysts for the Diels-Alder reaction between 5.1 and 5.2 (see Scheme 5.1). The physical properties of these micelles have been described in the literature and a small number of catalytic studies have been reported. The influence of Cu(DS)2 micelles on the kinetics of quenching of a photoexcited species has been investigated. Interestingly, Kobayashi recently employed surfactants in scandium triflate catalysed aldol reactions". Robinson et al. have demonshuted that the interaction between metal ions and ligand at the surface of dodecylsulfate micelles can be extremely efficient. ... 

In contrast to the situation in the absence of catalytically active Lewis acids, micelles of Cu(DS)2 induce rate enhancements up to a factor 1.8710 compared to the uncatalysed reaction in acetonitrile. These enzyme-like accelerations result from a very efficient complexation of the dienophile to the catalytically active copper ions, both species being concentrated at the micellar surface. Moreover, the higher affinity of 5.2 for Cu(DS)2 compared to SDS and CTAB (Psj = 96 versus 61 and 68, respectively) will diminish the inhibitory effect due to spatial separation of 5.1 and 5.2 as observed for SDS and CTAB. 

The enhanced concentration at the surface accounts, in part, for the catalytic activity shown by many solid surfaces, and it is also the basis of the application of adsorbents for low pressure storage of permanent gases such as methane. However, most of the important applications of adsorption depend on the selectivity, ie, the difference in the affinity of the surface for different components. As a result of this selectivity, adsorption offers, at least in principle, a relatively straightforward means of purification (removal of an undesirable trace component from a fluid mixture) and a potentially useflil means of bulk separation. 

The technological appHcations of molecular sieves are as varied as their chemical makeup. Heterogeneous catalysis and adsorption processes make extensive use of molecular sieves. The utility of the latter materials Hes in their microstmctures, which allow access to large internal surfaces, and cavities that enhance catalytic activity and adsorptive capacity. 

The surface of activated alumina is a complex mixture of aluminum, oxygen, and hydroxyl ions which combine in specific ways to produce both acid and base sites. These sites are the cause of surface activity and so are important in adsorption, chromatographic, and catalytic appHcations. Models have been developed to help explain the evolution of these sites on activation (19). Other ions present on the surface can alter the surface chemistry and this approach is commonly used to manipulate properties for various appHcations. 

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