Bane and boon of oxygen mediating the performance of nickel catalysts in dry reforming of methane

Fundamental insights into the processes occurring at the catalyst surface

22-Jan-2024 - Catalysis is one of the key technologies in the chemical industry and has a wide-reaching impact on various aspects of our daily lives, including plastics manufacturing, drug synthesis, and production of both fertilizers and fuels. It is estimated that over 90% of chemical products are nowadays ...

Light and nickel simplify chemical reactions

Researchers develop a method for reliable planning of syntheses

16-Jun-2023 - Cross-coupling reactions–chemical transformations in which two fragments are joined together–are a valuable tool in the synthesis of organic molecules. Applications range from drug development and synthesis of naturally occurring molecules to materials science. Despite many known methods, finding ...

New molecule sets stage for nickel as a “greener” photocatalyst, reveals key steps in reaction process

Researchers have developed a new ligand that promotes a direct nickel-photocatalyzed cross-coupling reaction

28-Apr-2022 - In recent years, the golden word in precious metals is palladium. A crucial component in automobile catalytic converters and in emerging hydrogen fuel cell technology, the demand for this rare silvery white transition metal continues to outstrip supply, driving its price per ounce far above gold ...

Put into the right light - Reproducible and sustainable coupling reactions

Improved methods for coupling reactions with light by targeted control of the catalyst activity

09-Jul-2020 - A team of researchers reports in the journal Nature Catalysis that sustainable carbon-nitrogen cross-couplings can be performed using simple nickel salts, carbon nitrides and light. The chemists study the use of cost-effective and reproducible semiconductors as photocatalysts in coupling ...

Adapting natural membrane to make hydrogen fuel from water

14-Jan-2019 - A chemical reaction pathway central to plant biology have been adapted to form the backbone of a new process that converts water into hydrogen fuel using energy from the sun. In a recent study from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, scientists have combined two ...

New 'supercatalyst' to recycle carbon dioxide and methane

20-Nov-2017 - The University of Surrey has developed a new and cost-effective catalyst to recycle two of the main causes behind climate change - carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Scientists describe how they created an advanced nickel-based catalyst strengthened with tin and ceria, and used it to ...

Light-activated catalyst grabs CO2 to make ingredients for fuel

01-Aug-2017 - Scientists have developed a light-activated material that can chemically convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide without generating unwanted byproducts. The achievement marks a significant step forward in developing technology that could help generate fuel and other energy-rich products using ...

Nickel: A greener route to fatty acids

05-May-2017 - Chemists designed a nickel catalyst that easily transforms petroleum feedstocks into valuable compounds like fatty acids. The process is environmentally friendly: not only it works at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, but also recycles carbon dioxide, contributing to the fight against ...

Clue for efficient usage of low-cost nickel catalysts

26-May-2016 - A group of researchers at Osaka University developed a method of the consecutive formation of bonds of two butadiene, alkyl groups, and benzene rings by using a cheap nickel catalyst. Using this technique, it has become possible to synthesize high-value terminal olefin by using cheap ...

New reaction turns feedstock chemical into versatile, chiral building block

30-Mar-2016 - Researchers in the Doyle lab at Princeton have developed a direct cross-coupling reaction to produce nitrogen-containing compounds called 1,2-dihydropyridines, versatile building blocks that are highly useful in pharmaceutical research. The reaction employs a chiral nickel catalyst and an ...