An electrocatalytic process for carbon dioxide conversion includes combining a Catalytically Active Element and a Helper Polymer in the presence of carbon dioxide, allowing a reaction to proceed to produce a reaction product, and applying electrical energy to said reaction to achieve electrochemical conversion of said carbon dioxide reactant to said reaction product. The Catalytically Active Element can be a metal in the form of supported or unsupported particles or flakes with an average size between 0.6 nm and 100 nm. The reaction products comprise at least one of CO, HCO.sup.−, H.sub.2CO, (HCO.sub.2).sup.−, H.sub.2CO.sub.2, CH.sub.3OH, CH.sub.4, C.sub.2H.sub.4, CH.sub.3CH.sub.2OH, CH.sub.3COO.sup.−, CH.sub.3COOH, C.sub.2H.sub.6, (COOH).sub.2, (COO.sup.−).sub.2, and CF.sub.3COOH.

Described herein is a base oil synthesis via ionic catalyst oligomerization further utilizing a hydrophobic process for removing an ionic catalyst from a reaction mixture with a silica gel composition, specifically a reaction mixture comprising an oligomerization reaction to produce PAO utilizing an ionic catalyst wherein the ionic catalyst is removed post reaction.

A transformational energy efficient technology using ionic liquid (IL) to couple with monoethanolamine (MEA) for catalytic CO.sub.2 capture is disclosed. [EMmim.sup.+][NTF.sub.2.sup.−] based catalysts are rationally synthesized and used for CO.sub.2 capture with MEA. A catalytic CO.sub.2 capture mechanism is disclosed according to experimental and computational studies on the [EMmim.sup.+][NTF.sub.2.sup.−] for the reversible CO.sub.2 sorption and desorption.

A protonated dimeric ionic liquid that enhances and improves the performance of a fuel cell catalyst. The protonated dimeric ionic liquid comprises 9′9′-(butane-1,4-diyl)bis(3,4,6,7,8,9-hexahydro-2H-pyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-1-ium) 1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,4-nonafluorobutane-1-sulfonate. Membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) and polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) employing the protonated dimeric ionic liquid are also disclosed.

Processes for the direct alkylation of ethylene with isobutane or isopentane using a highly active ionic liquid alkylation catalyst are described. Ethylene is sent to a high-temperature alkylation reactor loop, and C.sub.3, C.sub.4, and C.sub.5 olefins are routed to a low temperature alkylation reactor loop. In each reactor, the olefins are contacted with an excess of isobutane or isopentane in the presence of a highly active ionic liquid catalyst. Portions of the reactor effluent streams are fed to a common downstream catalyst separation and product fractionation sections. The remainder of the reactor effluent is recycled back to the respective alkylation reactor.

The disclosure is about a method capable of realizing the preparation and in-situ separation of the oligomeric ricinoleate, which uses the ricinoleic acid as raw material, and uses a protonic acid-type ionic liquid as a catalyst to cause the dehydration and esterification reactions between ricinoleic acid molecules. By continuously distilling out the generated water under a reduced pressure, the oligomeric ricinoleate with a polymerization degree of 2 to 10 is obtained. After the reaction, a method of washing with water or static stratification is selected to recover the catalyst according to the miscibility of the catalyst and reaction system. In his disclosure, renewable raw materials are used, the process is clean and pollution-free, and the operation is simple.

The present invention provides a catalyst system for producing cyclic carbonates comprising: a pre-catalyst, which is BiCl.sub.3 having amounts in the range from 5 to 10% by weight of silica support; a compound having formula (I)

##STR00001## wherein: Y is selected from bromide (Br.sup.−) or iodide (I.sup.−); R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 are methyl group or R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 are taken together to form a heteroaryl ring having formula (II)

##STR00002##

and a silica (SiO.sub.2) support.

Described herein is a base oil synthesis via ionic catalyst oligomerization further utilizing a hydrophobic process for removing an ionic catalyst from a reaction mixture with a silica gel composition, specifically a reaction mixture comprising an oligomerization reaction to produce PAO utilizing an ionic catalyst wherein the ionic catalyst is removed post reaction.

The present disclosure relates to methods for selectively hydrogenating acetylene, to methods for starting up a selective hydrogenation reactor, and to hydrogenation catalysts useful in such methods. In one aspect, the disclosure provides a method for selectively hydrogenating acetylene, the method comprising contacting a catalyst composition with a process gas. The catalyst composition comprises a porous support, palladium, and one or more ionic liquids. The process gas includes ethylene, present in the process gas in an amount of at least 20 mol. %; acetylene, present in the process gas in an amount of at least 1 ppm; and 0 to 190 ppm or at least 600 ppm carbon monoxide. At least 90% of the acetylene present in the process gas is hydrogenated, and the selective hydrogenation is conducted without thermal runaway.

Included herein are methods for photodriven hydrogenation of N.sub.2, the methods comprising, for example: hydrogenating N.sub.2 to NH.sub.3 in the presence of a light, an organic transfer agent, and a first metal-containing catalyst; wherein: the transfer agent and the first catalyst are in a solution; the transfer agent comprises n chemically transferable electrons and protons, n being an integer equal to or greater than 1; the step of hydrogenating comprises at least one charge-transfer reaction via which the transfer agent donates at least one electron and at least one proton to one or more other chemical species; the step of hydrogenating comprises at least one photochemical reaction; and the light is characterized by energy sufficient to drive the at least one photochemical reaction. Also disclosed herein are methods comprising regenerating a spent-transfer agent back into the transfer agent.