Issue 32, 2012
From the journal:

Dalton Transactions

Organic carbonates as stabilizing solvents for transition-metal nanoparticles†

Christian Vollmer,a   Ralf Thomannb  and  Christoph Janiak*a  

* Corresponding authors

a Institut für Anorganische Chemie und Strukturchemie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, D-40204 Düsseldorf, Germany
E-mail: janiak@uni-duesseldorf.de
Fax: +49 211 81 12287
Tel: +49 211 81 12286

b Freiburger Material Forschungszentrum (FMF) and Institut für Makromolekulare Chemie, Universität Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Str. 21-31, Germany

Abstract

Biodegradable, non-toxic, “green” and inexpensive propylene carbonate (PC) solvent is shown to function as a stabilizing medium for the synthesis of weakly-coordinated transition-metal nanoparticles. Kinetically stable nanoparticles (M-NPs) with a small and uniform particle size (typically <5 ± 1 nm) have been reproducibly obtained by easy, rapid (3 min) and energy-saving 50 W microwave irradiation under an argon atmosphere from their metal–carbonyl precursors in PC. The M-NP/PC dispersions are stable for up to three weeks according to repeated TEM studies over this time period. The rhodium nanoparticle/PC dispersion is a highly active catalyst for the biphasic liquid–liquid hydrogenation of cyclohexene to cyclohexane with activities of up to and 1875 (mol product) (mol Rh)−1 h−1 and near quantitative conversion at 4 to 10 bar H2 and 90 °C. From the PC dispersion the M-NPs can be coated with organic capping ligands such as 3-mercaptopropionic acid or trioctylphosphine oxide for further stabilization.

Graphical abstract: Organic carbonates as stabilizing solvents for transition-metal nanoparticles

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C2DT30668A
Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Mar 2012
Accepted
18 Jun 2012
First published
19 Jun 2012

Dalton Trans., 2012,41, 9722-9727

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Organic carbonates as stabilizing solvents for transition-metal nanoparticles

C. Vollmer, R. Thomann and C. Janiak, Dalton Trans., 2012, 41, 9722 DOI: 10.1039/C2DT30668A

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