Reactions, Volume 1, Issue 1 (September 2020) – 4 articles

The concept of the rate determining step, i.e., the step having the strongest influence on the reaction rate or even being the only one present in the rate equation, is often used in heterogeneous catalytic reactions. The utilization of this concept mainly stems from a need to reduce complexity in deriving explicit rate equations or searching for a better catalyst based on the theoretical insight. When the aim is to derive a rate equation with eventual kinetic modelling for single-route mechanisms with linear sequences, the analytical rate expressions can be obtained based on the theory of complex reactions. For such mechanisms, a single rate limiting step might not be present at all and the common practice of introducing such steps is due mainly to the convenience of using simpler expressions. For mechanisms with a combination of linear and nonlinear steps or those just comprising non-linear steps, the reaction rates are influenced by several steps depending on reaction conditions, thus a reduction in complexity to a single rate limiting step can lead to misinterpretations. More widespread utilization of a microkinetic approach when the reaction rate constants can be computed with reasonable accuracy based on the theoretical insight, and availability of software for kinetic modelling, when a system of differential equations for reactants and products will be solved together with differential equations for catalytic species and the algebraic conservation equation for the latter, will eventually make the concept of the rate limiting step obsolete. Full article

Pincer ligands occupy three coplanar sites at metal centers and often support both stability and reactivity. The five-coordinate [Fe^IIICl₂(tia-BAI)] complex (tia-BAI⁻ = 1,3-bis(2’-thiazolylimino)isoindolinate(−)) was considered as a potential pre-catalyst for water oxidation providing the active form via the exchange of chloride ligands to water molecules. The tia-BAI⁻ pincer ligand renders water-insolubility to the Fe–(tia-BAI) assembly, but it tolerates the presence of water in acetone and produces electrocatalytic current in cyclic voltammetry associated with molecular water oxidation catalysis. Upon addition of water to [Fe^IIICl₂(tia-BAI)] in acetone the changes in the Fe^3+/2+ redox transition and the UV-visible spectra could be associated with solvent-dependent equilibria between the aqua and chloride complex forms. Immobilization of the complex from methanol on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrode by means of drop-casting resulted in water oxidation catalysis in borate buffer. The O₂ detected by gas chromatography upon electrolysis at pH 8.3 indicates >80% Faraday efficiency by a TON > 193. The investigation of the complex/ITO assembly by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) before and after electrolysis, and re-dissolution tests suggest that an immobilized molecular catalyst is responsible for catalysis and de-activation occurs by depletion of the metal. Full article

In the pulp and paper industry, the white liquor obtained from the causticizing green liquor in the smelting process mostly contains NaOH and Na₂S. These chemicals are returned to the digester for reuse in the pulping process. The lime mud (LM) material is obtained from the reaction of the causticization process in paper industries. It is mainly composed of CaCO₃; it appears with a green color with a high moisture content; and it has a small proportion of impurities such as non-process elements, for example Fe, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, and S oxides and other toxic metals. This lime mud has poor whiteness with less efficiency due to its contaminated with impurities. The recycling or reutilizing process for lime mud and solid wastes are minimizing its toxic effect on the environment. The present study proposed to improve the whiteness of the waste lime mud by the calcination and hydration process at high temperatures and reutilizing it for hand sheets, making the process improve the paper brightness. In this study, we used a lime mud sample for calcination at 1000 °C and 1200 °C for 2 h and hydration at different times (3–24 h) with different temperatures (30–80 °C) and measured the powder whiteness and hand sheet brightness. The results indicated that after the calcination and hydration process, the lime mud sample whiteness was improved and that re-utilization with pulp for making hand sheets also can improve the paper brightness. It can be concluded that waste lime mud sample purification and the re-utilization process are more advantageous in paper industries. Full article