Even though Ziegler catalysts have been known for almost half a century, rare earth metals (Ln), particularly neodymium (Nd)-based Ziegler catalyst systems, only came into the focus of industrial and academic research well afterthelargescaleapplicationoftitanium, cobaltandnickelcatalystsystems. Asadirectconsequenceofthelaterecognitionofthetechnologicalpotentialof rareearthmetalZieglercatalysts, thesesystemshaveattractedmuchattention. Considerable progress has been made in this ?eld as a result of intensive workperformed during the last fewyears. Worthmentioning is thestructural identi?cation of a variety of Ln/Al heterobimetallic complexes and the role of alkyl aluminum cocatalysts in molar mass control. Furthermore, a deeper understanding ofthe polymerization mechanism, suchas theliving character of neodymium-catalyzed diene polymerization associated with the reversible transfer of living polymer chains between Nd and Al, was revealed quite - cently. In spite of the vast number of patents and publications mainly issued duringthelastdecade, acomprehensivereviewthatcoversthescienti?caswell as the patent literature has been missing until now. In this volume we try to review the available literature by two independent approaches to Nd and Ln-catalyzed diene polymerizations. In the ?rst part of thevolume, whichisentitled"Neodymium-Based Ziegler/NattaCatalystsand their Application in Diene Polymerization," a polymer chemist's view is given with strong emphasis on Nd-based catalyst systems. Also technological and industrialaspectsofNd-catalyzeddienepolymerizationsareaddressed.Inthe secondpartofthevolume, whichisentitled"Rare-EarthMetalsandAluminum Getting Close in Ziegler-type Organometallics," a more organometallic p- spective isgivenandLn-based catalystsystems areaddressed. Bythesynopsis of these different perspectives, the reader will comprehend the complexity of Ln-based Ziegler catalyst systems and their application to the polymerization of dienes. This volume also gives a description ofthe evolution in Nd-catalyzed po- merization of dienes from the early works to the current state of the art.

This book introduces recent progress in preparation and application of core-shell and yolk-shell structures for attractive design of catalyst materials. Core-shell nanostructures with active core particles covered directly with an inert shell can perform as highly active and selective catalysts with long lifetimes. Yolk-shell nanostructures consisting of catalytically active core particles encapsulated by hollow materials are an emerging class of nanomaterials. The enclosed void space is expected to be useful for encapsulation and compartmentation of guest molecules, and the outer shell acts as a physical barrier to protect the guest molecules from the surrounding environment. Furthermore, the tunability and functionality in the core and the shell regions can offer new catalytic properties, rendering them attractive platform materials for the design of heterogeneous catalysts. This book describes the recent development of such unique nanostructures to design effective catalysts which can lead to new chemical processes. It provides an excellent guide for design and application of core-shell and yolk-shell structured catalysts for a wide range of readers working on design of attractive catalysts, photocatalysts, and electrocatalysts for energy, environmental, and green chemical processes.

This book is intended to give readers an appreciation of what the future holds, as cutting-edge technologies in synthetic biology and pathway engineering and advanced bioprocessing development pave the way for providing goods and services to benefit humankind that are based on the synergy of two biomasses - i.e. of what a renewable feedstock could yield and an infinite microbial biomass could provide in terms of enzymes and biocatalysts. This 13-chapter book, with an introductory treatise on the guiding principles of green chemistry and engineering metrics, brings together a broad range of research and innovation agendas and perspectives from industries, academia and government laboratories using renewable feedstocks that include macroalgae and lignins. In addition, social-economic aspects and the pillars of competitiveness in regional cluster development are explored as we transition from fossil-fuel-based economies to a circular bioeconomy, with chemurgy and green chemistry being implicit to the innovation movement. The bulk of the book covers specific applications including the bioproduction of amino sugars, dicarboxylic acids, omega-3 fatty acids, starch and fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic materials, and phenolics as building blocks for polymer synthesis. Enzymatic systems for accessing chiral and special-purpose chemicals, as well as the development of specialized enzymes from macroalgae for biofuel and biochemical production are also addressed. Research gaps, hurdles to overcome in various biological processes, and present achievements in the production of biofuels and biochemicals from lignocellulosic materials are discussed. Going beyond the conventional expectation of discussing the production of drop-in chemicals, the book instead emphasizes how the potential of new chemicals and materials can be harnessed through innovative thinking and research. As such, it provides an invaluable reference source for researchers and graduate students interested in Chemurgy and Green Chemistry, as well as for practitioners in the field of industrial biotechnology and biobased industry. Peter C.K. Lau is a Distinguished Professor at Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an Adjunct Professor at the Departments of Chemistry and Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Canada.

The series Topics in Current Chemistry Collections presents critical reviews from the journal Topics in Current Chemistry organized in topical volumes. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience. Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field.

Advances in Polymer Science enjoys a longstanding tradition and good reputation in its community. Each volume is dedicated to a current topic, and each review critically surveys one aspect of that topic, to place it within the context of the volume. The volumes typically summarize the significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years and discuss them critically, presenting selected examples, explaining and illustrating the important principles, and bringing together many important references of primary literature. On that basis, future research directions in the area can be discussed. Advances in Polymer Science volumes thus are important references for every polymer scientist, as well as for other scientists interested in polymer science - as an introduction to a neighboring field, or as a compilation of detailed information for the specialist.

This book focuses on carbon dioxide and its global role in our everyday life. Starting with society's dependency on energy, it demonstrates the various sources of carbon dioxide and discusses the putative effects of its accumulation in the atmosphere and its impact on the climate. It then provides an overview of how we can reduce carbon dioxide production and reviews innovative technologies and alternative energy resources. The book closes with a perspective on how carbon dioxide can be utilized reasonably and how mimicking nature can provide us with a solution. Using simple language, this book discusses one of today's biggest challenges for the future of our planet in a way that is understandable for the general public. The authors also provide deep insights into specific issues, making the book a useful resource for researchers and students.

This book aims to introduce the basic concepts involved in industrial catalytic processes. It is profusely illustrated with experimental results with the main objective of guiding how to select a suitable catalyst for specific processes. The book is divided in two parts. In the first part the basic concepts are addressed, regarding the existing theories, activity patterns and adsorption-desorption phenomena. In the second part the key experimental methods for the physicochemical characterization of catalysts are presented, as well as the currently used catalyst pre and post treatments. The last chapter describes some important in situ characterization techniques (e.g. XPS and TEM) and surface model patterns related to surface modifications occurring during the reaction. Thoroughly illustrated with microscopy images, spectroscopy data and schematics of reaction mechanisms, the book provides a powerful learning tool for students in undergraduate and graduate level courses on the field of catalysis. Exercises and resolved problems are provided, as well as experimental procedures to support laboratory classes. Furthermore, the content is presented in a carefully chosen sequence, reflecting the 30 year teaching experience of the author. The author, Professor Martin Schmal, sees the present book as a way of conveying basic knowledge needed for the development of more efficient catalysts (i.e. nanostructured materials) and novel industrial chemical processes in the fields of environmental chemistry, fine chemistry, hydrotreating of heavy oils, hydrogen production and biomass processing.

This book covers the fundamental aspects of the electrochemistry and redox enzymes that underlie enzymatic bioelectrocatalysis, in which a redox enzyme reaction is coupled with an electrode reaction. Described here are the basic concept and theoretical aspects of bioelectrocatalysis and the various experimental techniques and materials used to study and characterize related problems. Also included are the various applications of bioelectrocatalysis to bioelectrochemical devices including biosensors, biofuel cells, and bioreactors. This book is a unique source of information in the area of enzymatic bioelectrocatalysis, approaching the subject from a cross-disciplinary point of view.

This book demonstrates that solar energy, the most abundant and clean renewable energy, can be utilized to drive methane activation and conversion under mild conditions. The book reports that coupling solar energy and thermal energy can significantly enhance methane conversion at mild temperatures using plasmonic nanometal-based catalysts, with a substantial decrease in apparent activation energy of methane conversion. Furthermore, this book, for the first time, reports the direct photocatalytic methane oxidation into liquid oxygenates (methanol and formaldehyde) with only molecular oxygen in pure water at room temperature with high yield and selectivity over nanometals and semiconductors (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide). These findings are a big stride toward methane conversion and inspire researchers to develop strategies for efficient and selective conversion of methane to high-value-added chemicals under mild conditions.

There is an increasing challenge for chemical industry and research institutions to find cost-efficient and environmentally sound methods of converting natural resources into fuels chemicals and energy. Catalysts are essential to these processes and the Catalysis Specialist Periodical Report series serves to highlight major developments in this area. This series provides systematic and detailed reviews of topics of interest to scientists and engineers in the catalysis field. The coverage includes all major areas of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis and also specific applications of catalysis such as NOx control kinetics and experimental techniques such as microcalorimetry. Each chapter is compiled by recognised experts within their specialist fields and provides a summary of the current literature. This series will be of interest to all those in academia and industry who need an up-to-date critical analysis and summary of catalysis research and applications. Catalysis will be of interest to anyone working in academia and industry that needs an up-to-date critical analysis and summary of catalysis research and applications. Specialist Periodical Reports provide systematic and detailed review coverage in major areas of chemical research. Compiled by teams of leading experts in their specialist fields, this series is designed to help the chemistry community keep current with the latest developments in their field. Each volume in the series is published either annually or biennially and is a superb reference point for researchers. www.rsc.org/spr

This book is devoted to CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) from a green, biotechnological and economic perspective, and presents the potential of, and the bottlenecks and breakthroughs in converting a stable molecule such as CO2 into specialty chemicals and materials or energy-rich compounds. The use of renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal, hydro) and non-fossil hydrogen is a must for converting large volumes of CO2 into energy products, and as such, the authors explore and compare the availability of hydrogen from water using these sources with that using oil or methane. Divided into 13 chapters, the book offers an analysis of the conditions under which CO2 utilization is possible, and discusses CO2 capture from concentrated sources and the atmosphere. It also analyzes the technological (non-chemical) uses of CO2, carbonation of basic minerals and industrial sludge, and the microbial-catalytic-electrochemical-photoelectrochemical-plasma conversion of CO2 into chemicals and energy products. Further, the book provides examples of advanced bioelectrochemical syntheses and RuBisCO engineering, as well as a techno-energetic and economic analysis of CCU. Written by leading international experts, this book offers a unique perspective on the potential of the various technologies discussed, and a vision for a sustainable future. Intended for graduates with a good understanding of chemistry, catalysis, biotechnology, electrochemistry and photochemistry, it particularly appeals to researchers (in academia and industry) and university teachers.

The UK Catalysis Hub is a consortium of universities working together on fundamental and applied research to find out how catalysts work and to improve their effectiveness. The contribution of catalysis to manufacturing contributes to almost 40% of global GDP, making development and innovation within the field integral to industry.Modern Developments in Catalysis, Volume 2 provides a review and update of current research and practice on catalysis. Topics range from the treatment of water using novel techniques for carbon neutrality, cutting-edge techniques using intense radiation including Operando Synchrotron Infrared Microspectroscopy to innovation in homogeneous catalysis, heterogeneous catalysis and biocatalysis. Edited by leaders of the UK Hub, this book provides insight into one of the most important areas of modern chemistry - it represents a unique learning opportunity for students and professionals studying and working towards speeding up, improving and increasing the rate of catalytic reactions in science and industry.

This volume gives an overview of the applications of organometallic chemistry in process chemistry relevant to the current topics in synthetic chemistry. This volume starts with an introduction on the historical development of organometallics in process chemistry and is followed by chapters dealing with the last five years' development in various organometallic reaction types such as the challenging cross coupling process, construction of 3.1.0 bicycles, pressure and transfer hydrogenations of historically challenging compounds such as esters, utilization of carbon dioxide for making organic compounds by flow process, drug synthesis and metal detection and scavenging in the finished APIs. A chapter by Colacot et.al., is also devoted to the process development and structural understanding of organometallic catalysts with particular emphasis to LnPd(0) catalysts. An academia - industry collaborated chapter on the use of water as a solvent for organometallic processes is included in this book.

This book explores key parameters, properties and fundamental concepts of electrocatalysis. It also discusses the engineering strategies, current applications in fuel-cells, water-splitting, metal-ion batteries, and fuel generation. This book elucidates entire category viewpoints together with industrial applications. Therefore, all the sections of this book emphasize the recent advances of different types of electrocatalysts, current challenges, and state-of-the-art studies through detailed reviews. This book is the result of commitments by numerous experts in the field from various backgrounds and expertise and appeals to industrialists, researchers, scientists and in addition understudies from various teaches.

Solid-State NMR Characterization of Heterogeneous Catalysts and Catalytic Reactions provides a comprehensive account of state-of-the-art solid-state NMR techniques and the application of these techniques in heterogeneous catalysts and related catalytic reactions. It includes an introduction to the basic theory of solid-state NMR and various frequently used techniques. Special emphasis is placed on characterizing the framework and pore structure, active site, guest-host interaction, and synthesis mechanisms of heterogeneous catalysts using multinuclear one- and two-dimensional solid-sate NMR spectroscopy. Additionally, various in-situ solid-state NMR techniques and their applications in investigation of the mechanism of industrially important catalytic reactions are also discussed. Both the fundamentals and the latest research results are covered, making the book suitable as a reference guide for both experienced researchers in and newcomers to this field. Feng Deng is a Professor at Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

This book covers the most important methodologies reported for stereoselective organocatalysis, based not only on the activation mode but also the type of bond formed. Starting with an introduction laying out the different activation modes, the chapters move on to describe the most important methodologies for the formation of key chemical bonds, including carbon-carbon (C-C), carbon-nitrogen (C-N), and carbon-halogen (C-X) bonds. It features an organization and approach useful for both students and practicing chemists in industry.

This book explores efficient syntheses of indole alkaloids based on gold-catalyzed cascade cyclizations, presenting two strategies for total synthesis of these natural products based on gold-catalyzed reactions of conjugated diyne or ynamide. The book first describes the total and formal synthesis of dictyodendrins A-F based on direct construction of the pyrrolo[2,3-c]carbazole core using the gold-catalyzed annulation of azido-diynes and protected pyrrole. This synthetic strategy features late-stage functionalization of the pyrrolo[2,3-c]carbazole scaffold at several positions and allows diverse access to dictyodendrins and their derivatives. Secondly, the book discusses the formal synthesis of vindorosine based on the pyrrolo[2,3-d]carbazole construction using the gold-catalyzed cascade cyclization of ynamide. Importantly, the reaction using a chiral gold complex provides the optically active pyrrolo[2,3-d]carbazole. This strategy facilitates the rapid construction of the pyrrolocarbazole core structure of aspidosperma and related alkaloids, including vindorosine. These methodologies can accelerate the medicinal application of pyrrolocarbazole-type alkaloids and related compounds.

This book describes solid surfaces and their properties on both small and large scales. It look at how atoms and molecules interact with surfaces and how and why they subsequently react and/or behave. The book is written for undergraduates, and builds on their knowledge from their first year. It reflects the striking advances made in recent years through the study of well defined single crystal surfaces.

The series Topics in Organometallic Chemistry presents critical overviews of research results in organometallic chemistry. As our understanding of organometallic structure, properties and mechanisms increases, new ways are opened for the design of organometallic compounds and reactions tailored to the needs of such diverse areas as organic synthesis, medical research, biology and materials science. Thus the scope of coverage includes a broad range of topics of pure and applied organometallic chemistry, where new breakthroughs are being achieved that are of significance to a larger scientific audience. The individual volumes of Topics in Organometallic Chemistry are thematic. Review articles are generally invited by the volume editors.

The term 'green chemistry' was coined by Anastas and Warner in the early 1990s and it is nowadays the mainstay of designing and implementing advanced chemical processes that decrease or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances whilst minimizing energy consumption.Solution Combustion Synthesis of Nanostructured Solid Catalysts for Sustainable Chemistry is an interdisciplinary collection of fundamental and applied cutting-edge studies which highlight general and specific aspects of the synthesis of nanostructured catalysts through Solution Combustion Synthesis (SCS), studying their applications from the perspective of green chemistry.This book intends to integrate the fundamental principles of the SCS process with its engineering aspects and covers the synthesis of a wide variety of catalytic materials. This reference book can be used as a permanent consulting material for students, researchers and the general readership for green chemistry, nanochemistry, materials science and chemical engineering.

Studies of free radicals on surfaces are of interest for several reasons: the spontaneous or stimulated formation of radicals from adsorbed molecules may represent one possible mechanism for heterogeneous catalysis. In some cases the radicals are ionic, indicating that primary oxidation and reduction reactions occur. Radicals can also be used as probes to investigate diffusion processes on catalytic surfaces. The first direct observations were made more than 30 years ago, but detailed studies of structure, reactions and mobility have only recently become feasible with the advent of powerful spectroscopic techniques, to a great extent developed and used by the contributors to this volume. This comprehensive review describes new trends in the field. Leading experts write about the nature of surface active sites, methods to identify them, and the radicals formed from adsorbed molecules interacting with the surface. The emphasis is on the fundamentals covering thermal, photostimulated and radiation induced reactions as well as diffusion processes. This provides the necessary background for technological applications. This book will be useful to those who are interested in surface chemistry, heterogeneous catalysis as well as those who want to study reactive intermediates in chemical reactions. It is also of interest to scientists in photo and radiation physics and chemistry.

The series Topics in Current Chemistry Collections presents critical reviews from the journal Topics in Current Chemistry organized in topical volumes. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience.Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field.The chapter "Enamine/Transition Metal Combined Catalysis: Catalytic Transformations Involving Organometallic Electrophilic Intermediates" is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 License via link.springer.com.

The series Topics in Organometallic Chemistry presents critical overviews of research results in organometallic chemistry. As our understanding of organometallic structure, properties and mechanisms increases, new ways are opened for the design of organometallic compounds and reactions tailored to the needs of such diverse areas as organic synthesis, medical research, biology and materials science. Thus the scope of coverage includes a broad range of topics of pure and applied organometallic chemistry, where new breakthroughs are being achieved that are of significance to a larger scientific audience. The individual volumes of Topics in Organometallic Chemistry are thematic. Review articles are generally invited by the volume editors. All chapters from Topics in Organometallic Chemistry are published OnlineFirst with an individual DOI. In references, Topics in Organometallic Chemistry is abbreviated as Top Organomet Chem and cited as a journal

This book provides detailed information on the base catalysis of group 5 (Nb, Ta) metal oxide clusters by elucidating how the structural factors such as constituent metals, counter cations, and local structures of base sites affect their catalysis. Uniquely, it reveals the effects of key structural factors at the molecular level by combining experimental and theoretical approaches. The findings presented here provide rational design principles for base catalysis and will foster the development of promising catalysts for solving current and future energy and environmental problems.

Homogeneous catalysis plays an important role both in the laboratory and in the industry. Successful applications in industry involve new polymerisation processes with complexes of zirconium and related metals, new carbonylation processes employing palladium and rhodium, ring opening polymerisations, and new enantioselective isomerisation catalysts as in the preparation of menthol. Also in the synthesis of organic compounds in the laboratory highly selective homogeneous catalysts represent an irreplaceable part of the toolbox of the synthetic chemist. Examples of such reactions are cross-coupling (Ni, Pd), nucleophilic substitution of allylpalladium complexes, Heck reactions (Pd), asymmetric epoxidation, Wacker type reactions (Pd), asymmetric hydrogenations (Rh, Ru), reactions of chromium complexes, enantioselective reactions with Lewis acids, reactions with the McMurry reagent, etc. There is hardly any multistep organic synthesis that does not involve one of these metal catalysed reactions. Most of these catalysts have been developed by empiricism. The metal catalysed processes consist of a series of elementary steps which often have been studied in isolation in organometallic chemistry. The knowl- edge of such elementary steps - effect ofligands, anions, coordination number, valence states - has greatly contributed to the development of improved cata- lysts for the reactions mentioned above. In addition to the empirical approach theoretical methods have given support and guidance to the development of improved processes. Often the key steps of a cycle escape from a direct ob- servation and then theoretical contributions are even more wanted.