Chiral stationary phases (CSPs) for liquid chromatography derived from N-(acyl)proline-3,5-dimethylanilides separate the enantiomers of N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-alpha-amino esters and amides with high levels of selectivity. These CSPs have been used to assemble a large body of chromatographic data which indirectly supports the validity of the mechanistic rationale originally used in the design of these CSPs. We herein report (1)H and (13)C chemical shift data obtained when the (S)-enantiomer of chiral solvating agent (CSA) 3, a soluble analogue of the selector used in CSP (S)-1, acts on each of the enantiomers of the dimethylamide of N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)leucine, 2. The changes in chemical shift in the mixture of (S)-2 and (S)-3 support the existence of those interactions thought to be essential to chiral recognition in this system. In addition, significant intermolecular NOESY enhancements are observed in this mixture. These NOE data are consistent with the structure expected for the more stable diastereomeric adsorbate formed between (S)-2 and the (S)-proline-derived CSP 1. No intermolecular NOEs are observed for corresponding mixtures of the chiral solvating agent (S)-3 and (R)-2, the enantiomer least retained on (S)-CSP 1.
a b s t r a c tAcrylonitrile is a major chemical intermediate used in the production of a wide range of chemical and polymer products. Central to the commercial process is a proprietary catalyst consisting of a complex mixture of metal oxides containing a bismuth-containing molybdate phase that is active and selective for propylene ammoxidation to acrylonitrile. Among the most active and selective is a solid solution of bismuth and cerium molybdate. Solid state structural studies were undertaken to characterize this active phase. The results show that the mixed bismuth-cerium molybdate consists of a solid solution phase having the scheelite-related structure of cerium molybdate with a monoclinic unit cell. Analysis of the cation site occupancy using synchrotron X-ray diffraction indicates that bismuth preferentially occupies the Ce(3) site of the monoclinic cerium molybdate structure. It is therefore possible to singularly identify the structure of the active site for propylene ammoxidation given that bismuth is a necessary constituent of a site for selective propylene (amm)oxidation. The proposed active site consists of bismuth located next to a cation vacancy in the structure, presumably in order to accommodate its lone pair of electrons. Bismuth serves as the site for the rate determining ␣-hydrogen abstraction from propylene to form an allyl intermediate and subsequent nitrogen insertion and loss of lattice oxygen. The bismuth site is surrounded by two cerium cations in this active site configuration. Thus the model that emerges from this study is Bi 3+ and Ce 3+ in a molybdate structural framework with cerium readily able to undergo Ce 3+ ↔ Ce 4+ redox that facilitates lattice oxygen transfer to the active site as required by the operative Mars-van Krevelen mechanism for selective propylene ammoxidation. The presence of two cerium cations adjacent to bismuth as a key component of the active site is expected to promote the rapid re-oxidation of the catalytic site effecting enhanced catalytic performance with respect to selective product yields and productivity.
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