Intrinsic kinetics of catalytic hydrogenation of 2-nitro-4-acetylamino anisole to 2-amino-4-acetylamino anisole over Raney nickel catalyst

The catalytic hydrogenation of 2-nitro-4-acetylamino anisole(NMA)is a less-polluting and efficient method to produce 2-amino-4-acetamino anisole(AMA).However,the kinetics of catalytic hydrogenation of NMA to AMA remains obscure.In this work,the kinetic models including power-law model and Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson(LHHW)model of NMA hydrogenation to AMA catalyzed by Raney nickel catalyst were investigated.All experiments were carried out under the elimination of mass transfer resistance within the temperature range of 70–100°C and the hydrogen pressure of 0.8–1.5 MPa.The reaction was found to follow 0.52-order kinetics with respect to the NMA concentration and 1.10-order kinetics in terms of hydrogen pressure.Based on the LHHW model,the dual-site dissociation adsorption of hydrogen was analyzed to be the rate determining step.The research of intrinsic kinetics of NMA to AMA provides the guidance for the reactor design and inspires the catalyst modification.

Silica Modulation of Raney Nickel Catalysts for Selective Hydrogenation

Selective hydrogenation over earth-abundant metal catalysts is challenging but particularly valuable for practical applications in heterogeneous catalysis.Herein,we demonstrate that the catalytic selectivity of the commercial Raney nickel catalyst can be greatly tuned by modulation of the nickel surface by silica.Using quinoline hydrogenation as a model,we show that the silica-modified Raney nickel catalysts exhibit good activity,excellent selectivity,and long stability,whereas the undesired over-hydrogenation reactions are effectively hindered.In contrast,the pristine Raney nickel catalyst shows inferior selectivity for the targeted product.Mechanistic studies confirm a positive role of silica to facilitate the desorption of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline from the catalyst surface,thus enhancing the product selectivity.

Electrochemical partial reduction of Ni(OH)_(2) to Ni(OH)_(2)/Ni via coupled oxidation of an interfacing NiAl intermetallic compound for robust hydrogen evolution

Ni-based porous electrocatalysts have been widely used in the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)in alkaline water electrolysis,and the catalysts are produced by selective leaching of Al from Ni-Al alloys.It is well known that chemical leaching of Ni-Al intermetallic compound(IMC)generates a high surface area in Ni(OH)_(2).However,the Ni(OH)_(2) produced by leaching the Ni-Al intermetallic compound retards the hydrogen evolution reaction,which is attributed to its weak hydrogen adsorption energy.In this study,we controlled the chemical state of Ni using plasma vapor deposition(PVD)followed by heat treatment,selective Al leaching,and electrochemical reduction.X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS)were used to confirm the phase evolution of the electrocatalysts during fabrication.We reveal that the heat-treated Ni-Al alloy with a thick Ni2Al3surface layer underwent selective Al leaching and produced biphasic interfaces comprising Ni(OH)_(2) and NiAl IMCs at the edges of the grains in the outermost surface layer.Coupled oxidation of the interfacing NiAl IMCs facilitated the partial reduction of Ni(OH)_(2) to Ni(OH)_(2)/Ni in the grains during electrochemical reduction,as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).An electrocatalyst containing partially reduced Ni(OH)_(2)/Ni exhibited an overpotential of 54 mV at 10 mA/cm^(2) in a half-cell measurement,and a cell voltage of 1.675 V at 0.4 A/cm2for single-cell operation.A combined experimental and theoretical study(density functional theory calculations)revealed that the superior HER activity was attributed to the presence of partially reduced metallic Ni with various defects and residual Al,which facilitated water adsorption,dissociation,and finally hydrogen evolution.

A novel reductive ring-opening reaction of isoxazolidine to form functionalized 1,3-aminoalcohol

Reductive cleavage of the NO bond of isoxazolidine ring with catalytic hydrogenation over Raney nickel was described. Bicyclic isoxazolidines could be effectively converted into the corresponding 1,3-amino-alcohol possessing a sultone or sultam moiety with high conversion and yield when the hydrogenation was catalyzed by freshly prepared Raney nickel under a pressure of 40 psi in the presence of triethylamine.