The surface hydroxyl groups of γ-alumina dehydroxylated at 500 °C were studied by a combination of one- and two-dimensional homo- and heteronuclear (1)H and (27)Al NMR spectroscopy at high magnetic field. In particular, by harnessing (1)H-(27) Al dipolar interactions, a high selectivity was achieved in unveiling the topology of the alumina surface. The terminal versus bridging character of the hydroxyl groups observed in the (1)H magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectrum was demonstrated thanks to (1)H-(27) Al RESPDOR (resonance-echo saturation-pulse double-resonance). In a further step the hydroxyl groups were assigned to their aluminium neighbours thanks to a {(1)H}-(27) Al dipolar heteronuclear multiple quantum correlation (D-HMQC), which was used to establish a first coordination map. Then, in combination with (1)H-(1) H double quantum (DQ) MAS, these elements helped to reveal intimate structural features of the surface hydroxyls. Finally, the nature of a peculiar reactive hydroxyl group was demonstrated following this methodology in the case of CO2 reactivity with alumina.

Flame silica was surface-labeled with (17)O, through isotopic enrichment of both siloxanes and silanols. After heat treatment at 200 and 700 °C under vacuum, the resulting partially dehydroxylated silica materials were investigated by high-field solid-state (1)H and (17)O NMR. More specifically, MQ MAS and HMQC sequences were used to probe the (17)O local environment. In a further step, these (17)O-tagged supports were used for the preparation of supported catalysts by reaction with perhydrocarbyl transition metal derivatives (zirconium tetraalkyl, tantalum trisalkyl-alkylidene, and tungsten trisalkyl-alkylidyne complexes). Detailed (17)O 1D and 2D MQ and HMQC MAS NMR studies demonstrate that signals in the Si-OH, Si-O-Si, and Si-O-metal regions are highly sensitive to local structural modifications, thanks to (17)O wide chemical shift and quadrupolar constant ranges. Experimental results were supported by DFT calculations. From the selective surface labeling, unprecedented information on interactions between supported catalysts and their inorganic carrier has been extracted.

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Three azaphosphatranes were used as organocatalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from CO2 and epoxides. They proved to be efficient single-component, metal-free catalysts for the reaction of simple or activated epoxides (styrene oxide, epichlorohydrin, glycidyl methyl ether) with CO2 under mild reaction conditions, displaying high stability and productivity over several days of reaction. Substitution patterns on the catalyst were shown to affect activity and stability. Kinetic analysis allowed investigation of the reaction mechanism.

In order to access realistic models to the industrial olefin metathesis catalyst WO3/SiO2, which is the bigrafted tungsten oxo alkylidene species [(SiO)2WO­(CHR)], we targeted the parent bis-alkyl oxo derivative [(SiO)2WOR2] prone to carbene formation. Thus, grafting of [WO­(CH2EMe3)3Cl] (E = C, 1-Np; E = Si, 1-Ns) onto silica dehydroxylated at 200 °C was performed. While 1-Np affords the monopodal species [(SiO)­WO­(CH2CMe3)3] (2-Np), the neosilyl derivative 1-Ns reacts to yield the well-defined bipodal species [(SiO)2WO­(CH2SiMe3)2] (2-Ns), via consecutive HCl and SiMe4 release. This was demonstrated by mass balance analysis, elemental analysis, IR, advanced solid-state NMR (1D and 2D 1H, 13C, 29Si, and 17O), and EXAFS. Furthermore, DFT calculations allowed understanding and rationalizing the experimental results regarding grafting selectivity. The material 2-Ns proved to lead to the most stable and efficient supported tungsten oxo catalyst for propene metathesis under dynamic conditions at 80 °C.

A metal-organic framework (MOF) based on Pt, Y, and 2,2'-bipyridine-5,5'-dicarboxylate (BPDC), stable up to 400 degrees C, has been synthesized and characterized. In this MOF, the Pt centers are coordinated to Cl and the N atoms of the BPDC unit, giving a local environment similar to that found in a series of Pt-organic complexes with catalytic activity toward C-H bond cleavage of alkanes. This new material is a heterogeneous counterpart to the corresponding metal-organic complex. The structure, determined by single-crystal XRD data, is the repetition of three covalently bonded layers. These layers form a block, which is stacking as an (a)(b)(c) sequence along the crystallographic b-axis. Each layer contains the Pt-organic unit, while Y atoms represent the connection between adjacent layers. No covalent connection is present between layer (a) of a block and layer (c) of an adjacent block. EXAFS (BM29 at the ESRF) analysis supports the XRD data. As this MOF crystallizes under hydrothermal conditions, water acts both as solvent and as a direct ligand of Y. Accessibility to the metal centers is demonstrated by reversible water desorption/readsorption, as determined by TPA/TPD, FTIR, UV-vis, EXAFS, and XANES. Importantly, the results show that the as-synthesized material will not suffer a permanent loss in porosity upon solvent removal. In addition to water, methanol, ethanol, and acetonitrile can also access the internal void of the dehydrated phase.

Inorganic oxides play a crucial role in the activation of atomically dispersed metal oxides for catalytic olefin transformations, but the inefficient activation processes remain poorly understood. Activation of methyltrioxorhenium (MTO) for propene metathesis via its deposition on the surface of γ-Al 2 O 3 typically results in <5% active sites, and these sites deactivate rapidly. Simple substitution of the support by a less crystalline (largely amorphous) alumina (a-Al 2 O 3 ) results in ca. 4× more activity and at least 10× more productivity. On both types of alumina, metathesis is initiated only at specific sites, whose availability limits the catalytic activity. While the two aluminas have similar total numbers of Lewis acid sites, the less crystalline support activates twice as many grafted MTO sites. Interestingly, a-Al 2 O 3 has nearly double the number of strong Lewis acid sites. However, the number of active sites is ca. 10× lower than the total number of strong Lewis acid sites, and metathesis proceeds even when most are occupied by pyridine. DQSQ and D-HMQC 1 H and 27 Al solid-state NMR reveal that many Lewis acid sites are co-located with surface hydroxyl groups, which prevent activation and/or cause rapid deactivation. Undercoordinated Al sites on dominant (110) facets, which retain hydroxyl groups under catalyst preparation conditions, are therefore unlikely to lead to stable active sites. In contrast, the minor (100) facets of γ-Al 2 O 3 , which are completely dehydroxylated, contain strongly Lewis-acidic five-coordinate Al sites that are necessarily remote from surface hydroxyl groups. Such sites, which are relatively more abundant on less well-crystallized aluminas, are inferred to be responsible for generating stable metathesis sites.

A crystalline and thermally stable metal-organic framework (MOF) with Pt II and Gd III sites incorporated in the structure has been recently reported. This material has been synthesized with the aim to develop a heterogeneous Pt II counterpart to homogeneous metal-organic complexes having C-H activating properties. The first account focused on the MOF synthesis and on structural and stability characterization of the material. In the present work, a multitechnique approach has been adopted to investigate the effect of solvent removal and the reversibility of this process. Structural features have been investigated by means of powder X-ray diffraction and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy at both Pt and Gd L 3 -edges. Electronic properties have been studied with diffuse reflectance surface UV-vis and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopies. Finally, IR spectroscopy has been used to determine the vibration properties. Thermogravimetric methods have been used to quantify the water loss. X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been used to compare the Pt environment in the periodic MOF structure, in related molecular complexes, and in the linkers. Our results demonstrate that the environment around Pt is more or less unaffected by the incorporation of the Pt centers in the molecular complexes into the 3D extended framework of the Pt-Gd MOF. The principle of using known homogeneous complexes as building blocks for the construction of single-site heterogeneous catalysts therefore seems applicable in the present case. Removal of solvent water molecules from the internal voids of the as-prepared MOF presents an opportunity to attain a porous material with accessible Pt II sites. We observe that the structure undergoes a reversible loss of long-range order upon dehydration at ambient temperature. The environment of Gd is somewhat perturbed in the dehydration/hydration process, while that of Pt is almost unaffected. When a total dehydration is achieved, the original structure is only partially recovered upon rehydration.