Gregory Szulczewski's Proposal
EMSL Project ID
25633
Abstract
Hydrogenation of 1-nitro-1-cyclohexene on an Au/TiO2 model catalystTitanium dioxide is a well-known material for metal-supported catalysis and photocatalysis. In particular, the use of Au based TiO2 catalysts has become one of the most widely studied catalysts due its promising commercial applications. The vast majority of the thermal and photolytic reactions on TiO2 based materials are oxidative. In contrast, very little work has been done under reducing conditions. Consequently the work proposed to be done at EMSL will focus on elucidating the reduction mechanism of 1-nitro-1-cyclohexene on a model Au/TiO2 catalysts with high-resolution energy loss spectroscopy under ultra high vacuum condition. The broader impacts of this work are three fold. First, the work will provide the mechanistic details that lead to selective reduction of compounds that contain both nitro groups and unsaturated double bonds. There are a number of important fine chemicals that would benefit from development of catalysts to perform such a transformation. Second, a better understanding the surface chemistry of nitro compounds could lead to novel solid-state, semiconductor sensors for explosives. Third, the chemistry of hydrogen-mediated reactions on Au/TiO2 catalysts is relatively unexplored and could lead to a better understanding of the hydrogen spillover phenomena.
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2007-08-01
End Date
2008-11-11
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator