Systems and a method for manufacturing a base stock from a light gas stream are provided. An example method includes oxidizing the light gas stream to form a raw ethylene stream. Water is removed from the raw ethylene stream, and carbon monoxide in the raw ethylene stream is oxidized. Carbon dioxide is separated from the raw ethylene stream, and the raw ethylene stream is oligomerized to form a raw oligomer stream. A light olefinic stream is distilled from the raw oligomer stream and a light alpha olefin is recovered from the light olefinic stream. A heavy olefinic stream is distilled from the raw oligomer stream. The heavy olefinic stream is hydro-processed to form a hydro-processed stream. the hydro-processed stream is distilled to form the base stock.

Systems and a method for manufacturing a base stock from a hydrocarbon stream are provided. An example method includes cracking the hydrocarbon stream to form a raw hydrocarbon stream, separating an ethylene stream from the raw hydrocarbon stream and oligomerizing the ethylene stream to form a raw oligomer stream. A light olefinic stream is distilled from the raw oligomer stream and linear alpha olefins are recovered from the light olefinic stream. A heavy olefinic stream is distilled from the raw oligomer stream. The heavy olefinic stream is hydro-processed to form a hydro-processed stream. The hydro-processed stream is distilled to form the base stock.

An oxidative homocoupling method of synthesizing certain 2,2-bithiophenes from thiophenes using oxygen as the terminal oxidant is disclosed. In non-limiting examples, the method uses oxygen along with a catalytic system that includes palladium, an assistive ligand, and a non-palladium metal additive to catalyze one of the following reactions: ##STR00001## Associated catalytic systems and compositions are also disclosed.

A composition of a photocatalyst, a method of manufacturing the photocatalyst, and a method of chemically reducing carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide using the photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation is provided. The photocatalyst comprises a transition metal ion and graphitic carbon nitride and includes single metal sites on carbon nitride. Under visible light, the metal sites that are coordinated to nitrogen atoms get activated, without the use of additional ligands, to catalyze the reduction of carbon dioxide to selectively produce carbon monoxide. The photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide is highly efficient, resulting a turnover number of more than 800 for carbon monoxide production in 2 hours. The composition is useful in converting carbon dioxide into useful chemicals and carbon-based fuels. A functional model of molecular catalysts for efficient carbon dioxide reduction is also present.

Methods and a system for manufacturing a base stock from an ethanol stream are provided. An example method includes dehydrating an ethanol stream to form an impure ethylene stream, recovering an ethylene stream from the impure ethylene stream, and oligomerizing the ethylene stream to form a raw oligomer stream. A light olefinic stream is distilled from the raw oligomer stream and blended with the ethylene stream prior to the oligomerization. A heavy olefinic stream is distilled from the raw oligomer stream and hydro-processed to form a hydro-processed stream. The hydro-processed stream is distilled to form the base stock.

Systems and a method for manufacturing a base stock from a hydrocarbon stream are provided. An example method includes cracking the hydrocarbon stream to form a raw product stream, separating an ethylene stream from the raw product stream, and oligomerizing the ethylene stream to form a raw oligomer stream. A Light olefinic stream is distilled from the raw oligomer stream and oligomerized the light olefinic stream with the ethylene stream. A heavy olefinic stream is distilled from the raw oligomer stream. The heavy olefinic stream is to form a hydro-processed and distilled to form the base stock.

An improved alkaline pretreatment of biomass is provided that uses a homogenous catalyst with one or more metals and metal coordinating ligands, wherein the homogeneous catalyst is used with at least two oxidants in an oxidation reaction to catalytically pretreat lignocellulosic biomass. In one embodiment, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen are utilized as co-oxidants during alkaline-oxidative pretreatment to improve biomass pretreatment and increase enzymatic digestibility. In one embodiment, the homogenous catalyst is copper (II) 2,2-bipyridine (Cu(bpy)). Related methods are also disclosed to improve the economic feasibility of production of lignocellulose derived sugars.

In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a mode of asymmetric induction in radical processes based on enhanced hydrogen-bonding capability and the situation of metal centers in cavity-like chiral environments. Also disclosed is an asymmetric system for stereoselective synthesis of cyclopropane and aziridine derivatives. The disclosed Co(II)-based metalloradical system has been shown to have an unusual capability of controlling both the degree and sense of asymmetric induction in cyclopropanation and aziridination reactions in a systematic manner. The disclosed system is applicable to a broad scope of substrates having diazo or azido moieties and exhibits a remarkable profile of reactivity and selectivity, providing access to cyclopropane diastereomers and aziridine enantiomers in highly enantioenriched forms. Also disclosed are catalysts useful in the disclosed processes. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure provides, inter alia, methods for preparing formaldehyde from carbon dioxide using bis(silyl)acetals, methods for incorporating carbon derived from carbon dioxide into a complex organic molecule derived from formaldehyde using bis(silyl)acetals, and methods for generating an isotopologue of a complex organic molecule derived from formaldehyde using bis(silyl)acetals.

In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a mode of asymmetric induction in radical processes based on sequential combination of enantiodifferentiative H-atom abstraction and stereoretentive radical substitution. Also disclosed is an asymmetric system for stereoselective synthesis of strained 5-membered cyclic sulfamides via radical 1,5-CH amination of sulfamoyl azides. The disclosed metalloradical system can control the degree and sense of asymmetric induction in the catalytic radical CH amination in a systematic manner. The disclosed system is applicable to a broad scope of substrates with different types of C(sp.sup.3)-H bonds and exhibits reactivity and selectivity, providing access to both enantiomers of useful 5-membered cyclic sulfamides in a highly enantioenriched form. Also disclosed are catalysts useful in these processes. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.