Embodiments of the present disclosure describe a catalyst and/or a precatalyst, in particular a single site catalyst and/or a single site precatalyst, for the oxidation and/or ammoxidation of olefins to produce aldehydes and/or nitriles, methods of preparing a corresponding catalyst and/or precatalyst, in particular single site catalyst and/or single site precatalyst, and methods of using said catalyst and/or precatalyst, in particular said single site catalyst and/or single site precatalyst, to produce aldehydes and/or nitriles.

Various embodiments disclosed relate to solid catalysts that convert lignocellulosic material to monomer sugars that are suitable for fermentation. The solid catalysts include a transition metal complex attached to a magnetic bead, and can be physically separated from a fermentation mixture and reused several times.

A method for preparing a bi-component, multi-network nanofibrous aerogel-supported heterojunction photocatalyst includes the following steps. Step 1, preparing ammoniated polyacrylonitrile nanofibers. Step 2, dispersing the ammoniated polyacrylonitrile nanofibers in water to obtain a first solution; dispersing cellulose nanofibers in water to obtain a second solution; and mixing, heating and lyophilizing the first solution with the second solution to obtain a bi-component, multi-network nanofibrous aerogel. Step 3, adding graphite carbon nitride, a ferric-iron containing reagent, 2,5-diaminoterephthalic acid, and the bi-component, multi-network nanofiber aerogel obtained in the step 2 into a N, N-dimethylformamide solvent to obtain a third solution, and carrying out a hydrothermal reaction on the third solution for 8-24 hours to obtain the bi-component, multi-network nanofibrous aerogel-supported heterojunction photocatalyst.

Novel compositions of matter based on homopiperazine precursor materials and forming a homopiperazine-based ligand are disclosed, along with suitable techniques and materials for the synthesis and utilization thereof. In particular various synthetic schemes and techniques for applying the disclosed compositions of matter as a decontaminating agent. The decontaminating agents include homopiperazine-based ligand-metal complexes that are particularly effective at neutralizing toxicity of nerve agents, pesticides, and other toxic organophosphorus-based compounds. In preferred approaches, the homopiperazine-based ligand-metal complexes act as catalysts to facilitate substitution of a leaving group of the organophosphorus-based compound with a functional group that does not permit the organophosphorus-based compound to inactivate acetylcholinesterase upon introduction of the organophosphorus-based compound to a living organism such as insects and mammals. Advantageously, the catalytic homopiperazine-based ligand-metal complexes are formed using inexpensive, readily-available precursor materials, and may be utilized to neutralize toxins without relying on damaging caustic reactants or environmentally unfriendly organic solvents.

A method of immobilizing a metal catalyst in a porous support includes additively forming a precursor structure on a substrate from a metal catalyst and at least one of a metal oxide or a metal cluster compound; exposing the precursor structure to a vapor of an organic linker; and reacting the at least one of the metal oxide or the metal cluster compound in the precursor structure with the organic linker to form a porous support that immobilizes the metal catalyst.

Provided herein are bi-metallic catalysts, methods of making, and uses thereof. In some embodiments, the bi-metallic catalyst contains two different metal catalysts that can be used in hydrocarbon metathesis reactions, in some embodiments, the methods of making the bi-metallic catalysts can include two steps utilizing a surface organometallic chemistry approach in which the two different metal catalysts are sequentially grafted onto a support.

Highly active, recoverable and recyclable transition metal-based metathesis catalysts and their organometallic complexes including dendrimeric complexes are disclosed, including a Ru complex bearing a 1,3-dimesityl-4,5-dihydroimidazol-2-ylidene and styrenyl ether ligand. The heterocyclic ligand significantly enhances the catalytic activity, and the styrenyl ether allows for the easy recovery of the Ru complex. Derivatized catalysts capable of being immobilized on substrate surfaces are also disclosed. The present catalysts can be used to catalyze ring-closing metathesis (RCM), ring-opening (ROM) and cross metatheses (CM) reactions, and promote the efficient formation of various trisubstituted olefins at ambient temperature in high yield.

A method for reducing nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine in water using a homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex. The method includes dissolving a copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex in water having an excess amount of nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine therein. The dissolved copper(II) tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand pre-catalyst complex in the water is subjected to electrochemical reduction to form a homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex. The homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex reduces the nitrates, nitrites, and/or hydroxylamine in the water to compounds with nitrogen in a lower oxidation state with the homogeneous reduced copper tetra-substituted fluorinated pinacolate ligand catalyst complex.

A method for making a magnetic-nanoparticle-supported catalyst includes reacting a ferrocenyl phosphine compound with an amino alcohol compound to form a ligand having a phosphine group, an amine group and at least one hydroxyl group; anchoring the ligand to a surface of magnetic nanoparticles via an oxygen atom of the hydroxyl group to form a ligand complex; combining the ligand complex with a metal precursor comprising Rh to bind the metal precursor with the ligand complex and form the magnetic-particle-supported catalyst. The magnetic-particle-supported catalyst is a Rh complex of magnetic-Fe.sub.3O.sub.4-nanoparticle-supported ferrocenyl phosphine catalyst.

A dinuclear vanadyl-diisatin succinyldihydrazone complex (VO-diisatin succinyldihydrazone complex), a method of using the dinuclear vanadyl-diisatin succinyldihydrazone complex, and a method of making the dinuclear vanadyl-diisatin succinyldihydrazone complex are provided. The dinuclear vanadyl-diisatin succinyldihydrazone complex has improved catalytic effectiveness and increased efficiency by reducing catalytic reaction time and temperature.