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Crown Ethers02:36

Crown Ethers

6.1K
Crown ethers are cyclic polyethers that contain multiple oxygen atoms, usually arranged in a regular pattern. The first crown ether was synthesized by Charles Pederson while working at DuPont in 1967. For this work, Pedersen was co-awarded the 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Crown ethers are named using the formula x-crown-y, where x is the total number of atoms in the ring and y is the number of ether oxygen atoms. The term 'crown' refers to the crown-like shape that these ether molecules...
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Ethers to Alkyl Halides: Acidic Cleavage02:18

Ethers to Alkyl Halides: Acidic Cleavage

7.1K
Ethers are generally unreactive and unsuitable for direct nucleophilic substitution reactions since the alkoxy groups are strong bases and, therefore, poor leaving groups. However, ethers readily undergo acidic-cleavage reactions. Ethers can be converted to alkyl halides when heated with strong acids such as HBr and HI in a sequence of two substitution reactions.
7.1K
Standard Electrode Potentials03:02

Standard Electrode Potentials

50.1K
On comparing the reactivity of silver and lead, it is observed that the two ionic species, Ag+ (aq) and Pb2+ (aq), show a difference in their redox reactivity towards copper: the silver ion undergoes spontaneous reduction, while the lead ion does not. This relative redox activity can be easily quantified in electrochemical cells by a property called cell potential. This property is commonly known as cell voltage in electrochemistry, and it is a measure of the energy which accompanies the charge...
50.1K
Lewis Acids and Bases02:33

Lewis Acids and Bases

48.3K
In 1923, G. N. Lewis proposed a generalized definition of acid-base behavior in which acids and bases are identified by their ability to accept or to donate a pair of electrons and form a coordinate covalent bond.
A coordinate covalent bond (or dative bond) occurs when one of the atoms in the bond provides both bonding electrons. For example, a coordinate covalent bond occurs when a water molecule combines with a hydrogen ion to form a hydronium ion. A coordinate covalent bond also results when...
48.3K
Ions as Acids and Bases02:54

Ions as Acids and Bases

26.3K
Salts with Acidic Ions
Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions, either of which may be capable of undergoing an acid or base ionization reaction with water. Aqueous salt solutions, therefore, may be acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on the relative acid-base strengths of the salt’s constituent ions. For example, dissolving the ammonium chloride in water results in its dissociation, as described by the equation:
26.3K
Ethers from Alcohols: Alcohol Dehydration and Williamson Ether Synthesis02:29

Ethers from Alcohols: Alcohol Dehydration and Williamson Ether Synthesis

12.8K
Overview
Ethers can be prepared from organic compounds by various methods. Some of them are discussed below,
Preparation of Ethers by Alcohol Dehydration
In this method, in the presence of protic acids, alcohol dehydrates to produce alkenes and ethers under different conditions. For example, in the presence of sulphuric acid, dehydration of ethanol at 413 K yields ethoxyethane, whereas it yields ethene at 443 K.
12.8K

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Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether
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Selective Acidic CO2 Electroreduction to Methane Using Crown Ether-Functionalized Copper-Based Electrodes.

Hai Nam Ha1, Duy Thai Nguyen1, Sandrine Zanna2

  • 1Laboratoire de Chimie des Processus Biologiques, CNRS UMR 8229, Collège de France, Sorbonne Université, Paris Cedex 05, France.

Chemsuschem
|January 26, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Crown ethers immobilize alkali cations on copper catalysts, enhancing acidic CO2 electroreduction (CO2R). This strategy suppresses hydrogen evolution and promotes methane formation with less electrolyte, achieving 55% Faradaic efficiency for methane.

Keywords:
CO2 valorizationcoppercrown etherselectrocatalysismethane

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Area of Science:

  • Electrochemistry
  • Catalysis
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Acidic CO2 electroreduction (CO2R) is attractive for limiting salt precipitation.
  • High K-based electrolyte concentrations are typically needed to suppress hydrogen evolution (HER) and favor C2 products.
  • Developing efficient catalysts for acidic CO2R remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the use of crown ethers for immobilizing alkali cations on Cu catalysts.
  • To enhance selectivity towards methane (CH4) formation in acidic CO2R.
  • To reduce electrolyte concentration while suppressing HER.

Main Methods:

  • Electrochemical CO2 reduction experiments using Cu catalysts modified with various crown ethers.
  • Systematic study of crown ether structure and cation type effects on CO2R selectivity.
  • Analysis of Faradaic efficiency (FE) for methane and hydrogen evolution.

Main Results:

  • Crown ether modification successfully immobilized alkali cations, reducing electrolyte concentration requirements.
  • HER was suppressed, and selectivity shifted towards CH4 formation.
  • A maximum FECH4 of 55% was achieved at -150 mA.cm-2 using 4'-amino-benzo-15-crown-5-Na+.

Conclusions:

  • Crown ether-mediated cation immobilization is an effective strategy for enhancing acidic CO2R.
  • This approach offers a promising pathway for efficient and selective methane production via CO2 electroreduction.
  • The findings provide insights into catalyst design for targeted CO2 conversion.