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Related Concept Videos

1° Amines to Diazonium or Aryldiazonium Salts: Diazotization with NaNO2 Overview01:26

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

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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...
3.5K
1° Amines to Diazonium or Aryldiazonium Salts: Diazotization with NaNO2 Mechanism01:37

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

4.0K
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.
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Preparation of Amines: Reduction of Oximes and Nitro Compounds01:29

Preparation of Amines: Reduction of Oximes and Nitro Compounds

4.1K
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,...
4.1K
Nitriles to Amines: LiAlH4 Reduction00:55

Nitriles to Amines: LiAlH4 Reduction

3.8K
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...
3.8K
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs01:15

Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs

192
Chemolithotrophs are microorganisms that obtain energy by oxidizing inorganic molecules such as hydrogen gas (H₂), ammonia (NH₃), reduced sulfur compounds (H₂S, S²⁻), and ferrous iron (Fe²⁺). Unlike heterotrophic organisms that rely on organic carbon, chemolithotrophs transfer electrons from these inorganic donors to the electron transport chain (ETC), generating a proton motive force (PMF) that drives ATP synthesis through oxidative phosphorylation.
192
2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO201:20

2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO2

4.6K
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.
4.6K

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Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
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Acidic Nitrate Electroreduction with Ultrahigh Energy Efficiency.

Rong Zhang1, Xintao Ma1, Shaoce Zhang1

  • 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|June 4, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a novel catalyst-electrolyte interface (CEI) using modified copper for efficient electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia. This breakthrough enhances ammonia production efficiency, especially at low nitrate concentrations, and enables a self-powering system for pollution treatment and biomass upgrading.

Keywords:
Acidic NH3 synthesisCatalyst‐electrolyte interfaceCationic modificationFurfural‐NO3− batteryNO3− reduction

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Area of Science:

  • Electrochemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Catalysis

Background:

  • Ammonia (NH3) is a crucial industrial feedstock, energy carrier, and hydrogen storage medium.
  • Electrochemical nitrate (NO3-) reduction to ammonia faces challenges with efficiency, particularly at low nitrate concentrations.
  • Developing effective catalyst-electrolyte interfaces (CEIs) is key to improving nitrate reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design and investigate an in situ formed, positively charged polyethyleneimine-modified Cu CEI for electrochemical nitrate reduction.
  • To enhance nitrate accumulation and optimize intermediate hydrogenation for efficient ammonia synthesis.
  • To demonstrate a novel nitrate-furfural battery for simultaneous pollution treatment and ammonia generation.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a positively charged polyethyleneimine-modified Cu catalyst-electrolyte interface (CEI).
  • Electrochemical characterization of nitrate reduction to ammonia under acidic conditions.
  • Evaluation of Faradaic efficiency (FE) and energy efficiency (EE) at varying nitrate concentrations.
  • Construction and testing of a nitrate-furfural battery system.

Main Results:

  • The novel CEI significantly enhanced ammonia (NH3) Faradaic efficiency (FE) to 83.5% in 10 mM nitrate solution.
  • Impressive half-cell energy efficiency (EE) of 37.1% was achieved, increasing to 44.1% in 0.5 M nitrate.
  • The CEI design facilitated nitrate anion accumulation and optimized *NO hydrogenation, surpassing previous catalyst performances.
  • A functional nitrate-furfural battery was demonstrated, showcasing a self-powering system for nitrate remediation and ammonia production.

Conclusions:

  • The developed CEI effectively promotes electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia with high efficiency and energy savings.
  • This approach offers a promising strategy for treating nitrate pollutants while generating valuable ammonia.
  • The study provides valuable insights into CEI construction for advanced electrochemical synthesis and sustainable energy applications.