Embodiments of a system and method are disclosed for obtaining high-energy fuels. In some embodiments, the system and method produces one or more fused cyclic compounds that can include one or more bridging points. The fused cyclic compounds are suitable for use as a high-energy fuels, and may be derived from biomass.

The present disclosure provides methods for fabricating catalysts for ammonia decomposition. The method may comprise (a) subjecting a catalyst support to one or more physical or chemical processes to optimize one or more pores, morphologies, and/or surface chemistry or property of the catalyst support; (b) depositing a composite support material on the catalyst support, wherein the composite support material comprises a morphology or surface chemistry or property; and (c) depositing one or more active metals on at least one of the composite support material and the catalyst support, wherein the one or more active metals comprise one or more nanoparticles configured to conform to the morphology of the composite support material and/or catalyst support material, thereby optimizing one or more active sites on the nanoparticles for ammonia processing.

This invention relates to a supported catalyst for synthesizing ammonia (NH.sub.3) from nitrogen gas (N.sub.2) and hydrogen gas (H.sub.2), method of making the support, and methods of decorating the support with the catalyst.

[PROBLEM] To provide a novel method for synthesising a polyphenol. [SOLUTION] A polyphenol production method including the reaction of catechin in the presence of a catalyst and an oxidising agent, said catalyst comprising a metal oxide and/or a composite that comprises: a substrate which has an inorganic material on the surface thereof; and metal nanoparticles of a particle diameter of 0.5-100 nm attached to the surface of the inorganic material.

An exhaust gas purifying catalyst (10) according to the present invention is an exhaust gas purifying catalyst including the first catalyst layer (12). The first catalyst layer (12) includes the first section (14) and the second section (15) in the exhaust gas flow direction. The first section (14) is located on the upstream side in the exhaust gas flow direction relative to the second section (15). A catalyst layer (16) contains a catalytically active component including a specific element. The concentration of the specific element in the catalyst layer (12) is higher in the first section (14) than in the second section (15), in terms of mass per unit volume. When the first section is divided in half along the thickness direction of the first catalyst layer (12), the ratio of a1 to a2, a1/a2, is 1.1 or more, where a1 represents the mass of the specific element that is present on the surface side of the catalyst layer (12) and a2 represents the mass of the specific element that is present on the other side than the surface side of the catalyst layer.

A process for regenerating a catalyst containing ruthenium or ruthenium compounds, which includes, optionally at elevated temperature, subjecting the catalyst to a hydrogen halide treatment, particularly a gas stream comprising hydrogen chloride, under non-oxidative conditions and, optionally at reduced temperature, to at least a two-stage oxidative post-treatment. The catalyst may have been poisoned by sulfur compounds. After the removal of sulfur, the catalyst is subjected to an oxidative post-treatment.

The present invention relates to a method for continuous production of 2,3-butanediol by hydrogenation of 3-hydroxybutanone with hydrogen in the presence of a heterogeneous hydrogenation catalyst filled in one or more fixed-bed flow tubular reactor systems comprising one or more tubes with an inner diameter from 1 mm to 6 mm.

Processes are disclosed for the synthesis of an α-amino acid or α-amino acid derivative, from a starting compound or substrate having a carbonyl functional group (C═O), with hydroxy-substituted carbon atoms at alpha (α) and beta (β) positions, relative to the carbonyl functional group. According a particular embodiment, an α-, β-dihydroxy carboxylic acid or carboxylate is dehydrated to form a dicarbonyl intermediate by transformation of the α-hydroxy group to a second carbonyl group (adjacent a carbonyl group of the starting compound) and removal of the β-hydroxy group. The dicarbonyl intermediate is optionally cracked to form a second, in this case cracked, dicarbonyl intermediate having fewer carbon atoms relative to the dicarbonyl intermediate but preserving the first and second carbonyl groups. Either or both of the dicarbonyl intermediate and the cracked dicarbonyl intermediate may be aminated to convert the second carbonyl group to an amino (—NH.sub.2) group, for producing the corresponding α-amino acid(s).

[Problem] To provide a novel artificial protein catalyst that enables the protection of a catalyst from substances in vivo and has potential usefulness in therapeutic in vivo synthetic chemistry.

[Solution] Provided is a complex of a protein and a catalyst selected from a metal catalyst or organic catalyst. In the complex according to the present invention, the protein is a protein having a hydrophobic pocket in the three-dimensional structure thereof, and the catalyst is housed in the hydrophobic pocket so that the catalyst is not or substantially not exposed to a hydrophilic environment.

Disclosed are single atom dispersions and multi-atom dispersions, and systems and methods for synthesizing the atomic dispersions. An exemplary method of synthesizing atomic dispersions includes: positioning a loaded substrate which includes a substrate in which is loaded with at least one of: a precursor of an element or a cluster of an element, applying one or more temperature pulses to the loaded substrate where a pulse of the temperature pulse(s) applies a target temperature for a duration, maintaining a cooling period after the pulse, and providing single atoms of the element dispersed on the substrate after the one or more temperature pulses. The target temperature applied by the pulse is between 500 K and 4000 K, inclusive, and the duration is between 1 millisecond and 1 minute, inclusive.