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Preparation of Amines: Reduction of Oximes and Nitro Compounds01:29

Preparation of Amines: Reduction of Oximes and Nitro Compounds

3.4K
Oximes can be reduced to primary amines using catalytic hydrogenation, hydride reduction, or sodium metal reduction. The reduction of aliphatic and aromatic nitro compounds to primary amines takes place by either catalytic hydrogenation or by using active metals like Fe, Zn, and Sn in the presence of an acid.
Though catalytic hydrogenation can reduce nitrobenzenes, the reduction is nonselective in the presence of other functional groups. For instance, if nitrobenzene contains an aldehyde group,...
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1° Amines to Diazonium or Aryldiazonium Salts: Diazotization with NaNO2 Overview01:26

1° Amines to Diazonium or Aryldiazonium Salts: Diazotization with NaNO2 Overview

3.2K
Nitrous acid and nitric acids are two types of acids containing nitrogen, among which nitrous acid is weaker than nitric acid. Nitrous acid with a pKa value of 3.37 ionizes in water to give a nitrite ion and the hydronium ion.
The nitrous acid is unstable. Hence, it is formed in situ from a solution of sodium nitrite and cold aqueous acids such as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. In an acidic solution, the –OH group of nitrous acid undergoes protonation to give oxonium ion, followed by...
3.2K
Nitriles to Amines: LiAlH4 Reduction00:55

Nitriles to Amines: LiAlH4 Reduction

3.2K
Nitriles are reduced to amines in the presence of strong reducing agents like lithium aluminum hydride through a typical nucleophilic acyl substitution. The reaction requires two equivalents of the reducing agent. The reducing agent acts as a source of hydride ions.
As shown below, the mechanism involves three steps. Firstly, the hydride ion acting as a nucleophile attacks the nitrile carbon to form an anion. In the second step, a second equivalent of the hydride ion attacks the anion to...
3.2K
2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO201:20

2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO2

4.0K
Secondary amines react with nitrous acid to form N-nitrosamines, as depicted in Figure 1. Nitrous acid, a weak and unstable acid, is formed in situ from an aqueous solution of sodium nitrite and strong acids, such as hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, in cold conditions. In the presence of an acid, the nitrous acid gets protonated. The subsequent loss of water results in the formation of the electrophile known as nitrosonium ion.
4.0K
Preparation of Amines: Reductive Amination of Aldehydes and Ketones01:38

Preparation of Amines: Reductive Amination of Aldehydes and Ketones

2.7K
Carbonyl compounds and primary amines undergo reductive amination first to produce imines, followed by secondary amines in the same reaction mixture, using selective reducing agents like sodium cyanoborohydride or sodium triacetoxyborohydride. Reductive amination produces different degrees of substitution of amines depending on the starting amine substrate.
2.7K
1° Amines to Diazonium or Aryldiazonium Salts: Diazotization with NaNO2 Mechanism01:37

1° Amines to Diazonium or Aryldiazonium Salts: Diazotization with NaNO2 Mechanism

3.7K
Nitrous acid is a relatively weak and unstable acid prepared in situ by the reaction of sodium nitrite and cold, dilute hydrochloric acid. In an acidic solution, the nitrous acid undergoes protonation when it loses water to form a nitrosonium ion—an electrophile. Nitrous acid reacts with primary amines to give diazonium salts. The reaction is called diazotization of primary amines.
3.7K

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Updated: Jun 1, 2025

Reverse Microemulsion-mediated Synthesis of Monometallic and Bimetallic Early Transition Metal Carbide and Nitride Nanoparticles
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Efficient Nitrate to Ammonia Conversion on Bifunctional IrCu4 Alloy Nanoparticles.

Ning He1, Zhi Yuan1, Chao Wu2

  • 1School of Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518000, China.

ACS Nano
|January 18, 2025
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces an IrCu4 alloy catalyst for efficient electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia, a sustainable alternative to Haber-Bosch. The bifunctional catalyst suppresses hydrogen evolution and enhances ammonia production with high efficiency.

Keywords:
ammonia productionbifunctional catalystflow electrolyzernitrate reduction reactionoxygen evolution reaction

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Area of Science:

  • Electrochemistry
  • Catalysis
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Electrochemical nitrate reduction (NO3RR) to ammonia offers a sustainable alternative to the Haber-Bosch process.
  • Competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) hinder efficiency and increase energy consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design a bifunctional catalyst for efficient NO3RR and OER while suppressing HER.
  • To optimize NO3RR via a tandem approach using bifunctional catalysts.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis of IrCu4 alloy nanoparticles.
  • Electrochemical evaluation of NO3RR and OER performance.
  • Testing in a flow electrolyzer under simulated working conditions.

Main Results:

  • IrCu4 alloy nanoparticles demonstrated high Faradaic efficiency (93.6%) for NO3RR.
  • The catalyst exhibited excellent OER performance with a low overpotential (260 mV at 10 mA cm-2).
  • Stable ammonia production was achieved for 50 hours in a flow electrolyzer.

Conclusions:

  • IrCu4 alloy nanoparticles effectively function as a bifunctional catalyst for NO3RR and OER.
  • Operating NO3RR at positive potentials with the IrCu4 catalyst suppresses HER and enhances ammonia yield.
  • This research presents a viable pathway for improving NO3RR through bifunctional catalysts in tandem systems.