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At least 541 records · Page 30

Effect of oxidation on the release of multiple metals from industrially polluted sediments and synchrotron-based evidence of Cu–S dynamic association

Disposal operations for industrially polluted sediments are usually accompanied by disturbance and resuspension, which can induce metal remobilization and secondary pollution. Evaluating the risk of metal release under various redox conditions is fundamental for predicting contaminant mobilization and guiding remediation measures. An abandoned oxidation pond, Yanjia Lake, China, was selected as a typical industrially polluted site. Re-suspension experiments were carried out by mixing polluted sediments with lake water under oxic or anoxic conditions, then investigating the effect of oxidation conditions on the release of multiple metals. Metal concentrations and aqueous chemistry in the overlying water were monitored. Synchrotron-based methods, including X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), were used to characterize oxidation states and coordination conditions of metals in sediments. The release of metals, including Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo, Sn, Cd, and Pb, was enhanced under oxic vs. anoxic conditions. The XANES analysis revealed that elevated Cr and Zn concentrations under oxic conditions likely resulted from the oxidation of Cr(III) and oxidizing dissolution of ZnS, respectively. K-edge Cu XANES, S XANES, and Cu EXAFS analyses reconstructed the Cu–S association, indicating that S-related oxidation promoted Cu release and Cu–O partly replaced Cu–S in the sediment after a 7-day oxic treatment. The release of most metals was promoted under oxic conditions, resulting from the oxidation of sulfides and metals as indicated by aqueous and synchrotron-based evidence. The risk of secondary pollution is greatly enhanced under oxic conditions, which suggests that measures should be taken to minimize the redox disturbance during sediment remediation. This information can guide the management of sediments in Yanjia Lake and other contaminated sites with similar properties.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Hierarchical Galloaluminosilicate MFI Catalysts for Ethane Nonoxidative Dehydroaromatization

This study presented an approach to overcome diffusion limitation and imbalance between Brønsted and Lewis acidities that affect conversion and aromatic yield in alkane nonoxidative dehydroaromatization (DHA) conversion. Three different Ga-promoted ZSM-5 catalysts were synthesized for the ethane DHA reaction. The hierarchical galloaluminosilicate Meso-GaZSM-5 was prepared by the solid-state crystallization technique wherein Ga was introduced through the in situ synthesis process. The microporous galloaluminosilicate Micro-GaZSM-5 was synthesized by the hydrothermal technique wherein Ga was introduced in situ during zeolite formation. The hierarchically structured Ga-Meso-ZSM-5 was synthesized by the solid-state crystallization method, but the Ga was introduced by the incipient wetness method. Additional Pt was incorporated by the incipient wetness technique for all three catalysts to enhance the DHA activity. The solid-state crystallization technique created the hierarchical structure without using a template. With the in situ technique, Ga species replaced the Al framework, reducing the strong Brønsted acidity. Meanwhile, they created the extraframework GaO + , introducing the strong Lewis acid sites into catalysts. Due to better synergistic interaction between the oxidation state of metals, acidic properties, and catalyst porosity, Pt-Meso-GaZSM-5 showed higher C 2 H 6 conversion and aromatic selectivity. The improvement on diffusivity not only reduces the effect of channel blockage but also improves the utilization of active sites. As a result, this work sheds light on the direct, nonoxidative conversion of shale gas without going through the syngas route.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Ground state in proximity to a possible Kitaev spin liquid: The undistorted honeycomb iridate Na x IrO 3 (0.60 ≤ x ≤ 0.80)

Here, we report the results of our study of a recently synthesized honeycomb iridate Na x IrO 3 (0.60 ≤ x ≤ 0.80). Single-crystal Na x IrO 3 adopts a honeycomb lattice noticeably without distortions and stacking disorder inherently existent in its sister compound Na 2 IrO 3 . The oxidation state of the Ir ion is a mixed valence state resulting from a majority Ir 5+ (5d 4 ) ion and a minority Ir 6+ (5d 3 ) ion. Na x IrO 3 is a Mott insulator likely with a predominant pseudospin =1 state. It exhibits an effective moment of 1.1 μB/Ir and a Curie-Weiss temperature of –19 K but with no discernible long-range order above 1 K. The physical behavior below 1 K features two prominent anomalies at T h = 0.9 K and T l = 0.12 K in both the heat capacity and AC magnetic susceptibility. Intermediate between T h and T l lies a pronounced temperature linearity of the heat capacity with a large slope of 77 mJ /mole K 2 , a feature expected for highly correlated metals but not at all for insulators. These results along with a comparison drawn with the honeycomb lattices Na 2 IrO 3 and (Na 0.2 Li 0.8 ) 2 IrO 3 point to an exotic ground state in proximity to a possible Kitaev spin liquid.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

The structure of plastocyanin tunes the midpoint potential by restricting axial ligation of the reduced copper ion

Blue copper proteins are models for illustrating how proteins tune metal properties. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which the protein controls the metal site remain to be fully elucidated. A hindrance is that the closed shell Cu(I) site is inaccessible to most spectroscopic analyses. Carbon deuterium (C-D) bonds used as vibrational probes afford nonperturbative, selective characterization of the key cysteine and methionine copper ligands in both redox states. The structural integrity of Nostoc plastocyanin was perturbed by disrupting potential hydrogen bonds between loops of the cupredoxin fold via mutagenesis (S9A, N33A, N34A), variably raising the midpoint potential. The C-D vibrations show little change to suggest substantial alteration to the Cu(II) coordination in the oxidized state or in the Cu(I) interaction with the cysteine ligand. They rather indicate, along with visible and NMR spectroscopy, that the methionine ligand distinctly interacts more strongly with the Cu(I) ion, in line with the increases in midpoint potential. Here we show that the protein structure determines the redox properties by restricting the interaction between the methionine ligand and Cu(I) in the reduced state.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Artificial meteor ablation studies

Artificial meteor ablation was performed on natural minerals, composed predominately of magnetite and hematite, using an arc heated plasma stream of air. Analysis of the ablated debris indicated most was composed of two or more minerals. The more volatile elements were depleted and the relative abundance of Fe increased as a result of both volatile depletion and a reduction in its oxidation state. Hematite was converted to magnetite in the ablation zone, and quartz and apatite minerals were converted to an Fe-rich glass consisting of varying amounts of Si, P, Cl, and Ca, depending upon the accessory minerals available at the time of melting. Artificially created ablation products from iron oxides exhibited unique properties depending on the composition of the original material and the environmental conditions of formation. In addition to the accepted elemental criteria, these properties were morphologic characteristics, textural parameters, and the existence of metastable minerals.

Blanchard, M. B.↗

Boosting Hydrogenation of CO 2 Using Cationic Cu Atomically Dispersed on 2D γ‐Al 2 O 3 Nanosheets

The continuous development of novel catalytic approaches is crucial for advancing efficient CO 2 hydrogenation processes. Drawing inspiration from single-atom catalysis and 2D materials, we designed a new 2D single-atom catalyst with excellent thermal stability by thermally treating Cu-adsorbed γ-AlOOH nanosheets, which yielded a Cu/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst with high activity in the hydrogenation of CO 2 -yielding methanol (CH 3 OH), dimethyl ether (DME), and CO as products. The active Cu sites are monodispersed and highly stable due to their cationic oxidation state and their substitution for pentacoordinated aluminum (Al P ) sites on particle surfaces. This study demonstrates an efficient approach for achieving a high CO 2 hydrogenation rate (30.45 mol mol −1 h −1 ) using a catalyst system that lacks metallic Cu centers, traditionally considered essential for H₂ dissociation, and employs what was previously thought to be an inert metal oxide (γ-Al 2 O 3 ) for CO and CH 3 OH production. Ongoing mechanistic studies aim to elucidate the synergy between cationic Cu single atoms and γ-Al 2 O 3 , a Lewis acid support, in facilitating hydrogen (H 2 ) activation and methanol formation.

2D catalyst↗

Investigation of synchrotron X-ray induced oxidation of Ag–Cu thin-film

Combinatorial Ag-Cu thin-films were irradiated by synchrotron X-ray in air to investigate the beam damage on the surface of the thin-film. The main effect was found to be oxidation with the oxidation state primarily depending on film composition: CuO formed on the pure Cu film, whereas Cu 2 O formed in the presence of Ag. Meanwhile, formation of crystalline Ag 2 O 2 was favored and preferentially in the Ag-rich area. Lastly, these results are of great importance in studying the oxidation of noble metal nano-film, and in the characterization of nano-films using synchrotron X-ray.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Modeling Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane with Supported Vanadia Catalysts Using Multireference Methods

The oxidative dehydrogenation of propane over supported vanadium oxide catalysts poses significant computational challenges due to complex electronic structure changes along the reaction coordinate, driven primarily by changes in the oxidation states of vanadium. To address these challenges, we systematically test quantum chemical methods, including multireference (MR) approaches, domain-based local pair natural orbital coupled cluster theory (DLPNO-CCSD(T)), and density functional theory (DFT). The initial C–H bond-breaking transition state requires MR treatment due to its multireference character, while subsequent steps permit efficient single-reference calculations. For the rate-limiting C–H activation step mediated by the vanadyl moiety, complete 1 active space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) yields an apparent activation barrier (E app 600K ) of 138 kJ/mol, consistent with experimental values (134 ± 4 kJ/mol; Gruene et al. Catal. Today 2010, 157, 137). In contrast, DLPNO-CCSD(T) overestimates this barrier (198 kJ/mol), whereas DFT predictions span 125–150 kJ/mol, depending on the functional. Our multireference investigation of this transition metal oxide-catalyzed process demonstrates that an active space that incorporates the C–H σ and V=O σ/π bonding orbitals, oxygen lone pairs, and their antibonding counterparts adequately captures electronic structure changes along the chemical transformation. Furthermore, these findings provide a general strategy for active space selection in transition metal oxide-catalyzed C/O–H bond activation reactions. The reference dataset from this work, which includes MR calculations with manually selected active spaces for all intermediates and transition states in the propane ODH reaction network, will serve as a benchmark for automating active space selection in similar systems.

Catalysts↗

The Sporadic History of Rubidium and its Role in Corrosion of Steel Related to Nuclear Material Storage

The influence of rubidium (Rb), both in its metallic and oxidized states, on the corrosion resistance of steels has direct relevance to the storage of radioactive Kr-85 containing nuclear materials. Kr-85 undergoes a ß-decay to generate stable, metallic Rb. The literature to date is sparse, contained primarily in company reports and divisive as to whether Rb metal, or its oxides, can lead to corrosion of steel materials. In both the direct storage of Kr-85 and used nuclear fuel that will contain Kr-85, if Rb is corrosive then continual decay of the Kr-85 will generate an increasingly corrosive environment for the steel canister it is stored in. This review was written to consolidate the known data to date on Rb corrosion of steels to identify consistencies, contradictions and remaining gaps in our understanding of the Rb : steel system.

krypton, corrosion, steel, Rubidium↗

Benchmarking Density Functional Theory Methods for Efficient Calculations of a Strongly Correlated Li 1– x Ni 1– y O 2−δ System

Transition metal oxides (TMOs), such as LiNiO 2 , are promising candidates for energy storage and electronic devices due to their unique electronic properties, exceptional physical and chemical characteristics, and ability to adopt multiple oxidation states. However, accurately predicting their properties using mean-field density functional theory (DFT) is challenging due to the presence of strongly correlated d-electrons and the complex interplay between their structural, electronic, and magnetic responses. These challenges are further exacerbated by the need to model defects, surfaces, and interfaces, which require computationally efficient, large-scale simulations. To address these issues, we carry out a benchmark study on the Li 1–x NiO 2 system, evaluating the performance of several popular functionals. Our findings demonstrate that combining SCAN functional relaxation with single-step HSE calculations provides a practical and scalable computational strategy. This approach balances accuracy and efficiency, enabling high-throughput simulations of strongly correlated TMOs and improved predictive modeling capability of TMOs for practical applications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Workshop on Oxygen in Asteroids and Meteorites

Contents include the following: Constraints on the detection of solar nebula's oxidation state through asteroid observation. Oxidation/Reduction Processes in Primitive Achondrites. Low-Temperature Chemical Processing on Asteroids. On the Formation Location of Asteroids and Meteorites. The Spectral Properties of Angritic Basalts. Correlation Between Chemical and Oxygen Isotopic Compositions in Chondrites. Effect of In-Situ Aqueous Alteration on Thermal Model Heat Budgets. Oxidation-Reduction in Meteorites: The Case of High-Ni Irons. Ureilite Atmospherics: Coming up for Air on a Parent Body. High Temperature Effects Including Oxygen Fugacity, in Pre-Planetary and Planetary Meteorites and Asteroids. Oxygen Isotopic Variation of Asteroidal Materials. High-Temperature Chemical Processing on Asteroids: An Oxygen Isotope Perspective. Oxygen Isotopes and Origin of Opaque Assemblages from the Ningqiang Carbonaceous Chondrite. Water Distribution in the Asteroid Belt. Comparative Planetary Mineralogy: V Systematics in Planetary Pyroxenes and fo 2 Estimates for Basalts from Vesta.

Source record↗

Modern Material Analysis Instruments Add a New Dimension to Materials Characterization and Failure Analysis

Modern analytical tools can yield invaluable results during materials characterization and failure analysis. Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) provide significant analytical capabilities, including angstrom-level resolution. These systems can be equipped with a silicon drift detector (SDD) for very fast yet precise analytical mapping of phases, as well as electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) units to map grain orientations, chambers that admit large samples, variable pressure for wet samples, and quantitative analysis software to examine phases. Advanced solid-state electronics have also improved surface and bulk analysis instruments: Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) can quantitatively determine and map light elements such as hydrogen, lithium, and boron - with their isotopes. Its high sensitivity detects impurities at parts per billion (ppb) levels. X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS) can determine oxidation states of elements, as well as identifying polymers and measuring film thicknesses on coated composites. This technique is also known as electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). Scanning Auger electron spectroscopy (SAM) combines surface sensitivity, spatial lateral resolution (10 nm), and depth profiling capabilities to describe elemental compositions of near and below surface regions down to the chemical state of an atom.

Panda, Binayak↗

Mineralogy at Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum from the Moessbauer Spectrometers on the Mars Exploration Rovers

The Moessbauer spectrometers on the twin MER rovers Spirit and Opportunity have provided significant new information on the distribution of iron among its oxidation states, the identification of the mineralogical composition of iron-bearing phases, and the distribution of iron among those phases for rock and soil at Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum. The plains of Gusev Crater are dominated by olivine-bearing basalt (approximately Fo(60)) and Fe(3+)/Fe(total)=0.1 - 0.5. The oxide mineral generally present is magnetite. In contrast, initial results for the Columbia Hills are consistent with the presence of hematite and a ferrous iron phase, possibly pyroxene. Gusev spectra also have a ferric doublet (not jarosite) that is tentatively associated with nano-phase ferric oxide. A wider diversity of material is present at Meridiani Planum. Significantly, jarosite-bearing outcrop is present throughout the region, with good exposures in impact craters such as Eagle and Endurance (Fe(3+)/Fe (total) approx. 0.9). The Moessbauer identification of jarosite (a hydroxyl-bearing sulfate mineral) is evidence for aqueous, acid-sulfate processes on Mars. Hematite is observed within the outcrop matrix and in the spheroidal particles (Blueberries) found within the outcrop and as a surface lag. An isolated rock (Bounce Rock) was the only sample at either landing site whose iron-bearing phase was dominated by pyroxene. The basaltic sand in the central portion of Eagle crater, in the intercrater plains, and between slabs of outcrop at both Eagle and Endurance craters is olivine-bearing basalt. The widespread occurrence of olivine-bearing basalt at both MER landing sites implies that physical, rather than chemical, weathering processes dominate at the surface of contemporary Mars.

Morris, Richard V.↗

Discovery and characterization of an acridine radical photoreductant

Not provided.Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) is a phenomenon whereby the absorption of light by a chemical species provides an energetic driving force for an electron-transfer reaction. This mechanism is relevant in many areas of chemistry, including the study of natural and artificial photosynthesis, photovoltaics and photosensitive materials. In recent years, research in the area of photoredox catalysis has enabled the use of PET for the catalytic generation of both neutral and charged organic free-radical species. These technologies have enabled previously inaccessible chemical transformations and have been widely used in both academic and industrial settings. Such reactions are often catalysed by visible-light-absorbing organic molecules or transition-metal complexes of ruthenium, iridium, chromium or copper. Although various closed-shell organic molecules have been shown to behave as competent electron-transfer catalysts in photoredox reactions, there are only limited reports of PET reactions involving neutral organic radicals as excited-state donors or acceptors. This is unsurprising because the lifetimes of doublet excited states of neutral organic radicals are typically several orders of magnitude shorter than the singlet lifetimes of known transition-metal photoredox catalysts. Here we document the discovery, characterization and reactivity of a neutral acridine radical with a maximum excited-state oxidation potential of -3.36 volts versus a saturated calomel electrode, which is similarly reducing to elemental lithium, making this radical one of the most potent chemical reductants reported. Spectroscopic, computational and chemical studies indicate that the formation of a twisted intramolecular charge-transfer species enables the population of higher-energy doublet excited states, leading to the observed potent photoreducing behaviour. Finally, we demonstrate that this catalytically generated PET catalyst facilitates several chemical reactions that typically require alkali metal reductants and can be used in other organic transformations that require dissolving metal reductants.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Tracking C–H activation with orbital resolution

Transition metal reactivity toward carbon–hydrogen (C–H) bonds hinges on the interplay of electron donation and withdrawal at the metal center. Manipulating this reactivity in a controlled way is difficult because the hypothesized metal-alkane charge-transfer interactions are challenging to access experimentally. Using time-resolved x-ray spectroscopy, we track the charge-transfer interactions during C–H activation of octane by a cyclopentadienyl rhodium carbonyl complex. Changes in oxidation state as well as valence-orbital energies and character emerge in the data on a femtosecond to nanosecond timescale. The x-ray spectroscopic signatures reflect how alkane-to-metal donation determines metal-alkane complex stability and how metal-to-alkane back-donation facilitates C–H bond cleavage by oxidative addition. Furthermore, the ability to dissect charge-transfer interactions on an orbital level provides opportunities for manipulating C–H reactivity at transition metals.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗