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Module

CHY8424 : Contemporary Catalysis: Principles and Applications

  • Offered for Year: 2020/21
  • Module Leader(s): Dr Simon Doherty
  • Lecturer: Dr John Errington
  • Owning School: Natural and Environmental Sciences
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Semester 1 Credit Value: 10
ECTS Credits: 5.0

Aims

This module aims to:

(i) instill the basic principles of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis currently used in synthetic organic chemistry and major industrial processes;

(ii) highlight the environmental threats arising from the reliance on petrochemical resources;

(iii) show how organometallic and metalorganic chemistry is being used to develop efficient catalysts for alternative "green" and sustainable processes;

(iv) provide an awareness of contemporary research through the analysis of recent papers from leading groups.

Outline Of Syllabus

Homogeneous Catalysis Dr. S. Doherty
The basic principles and elementary steps required to understand homogeneous catalysis will be covered using selected examples from a range of important transformation selected from rhodium- and cobalt-catalyzed hydroformylation, rhodium and ruthenium-catalysed hydrogenation, alkene oligomerisation and polymerization, metathesis, isomerization reactions, palladium catalyzed cross couplings and aminations, carbonylation of alkenes, rhodium catalyzed cyclisations and palladium catalyzed oxidation of alkenes. Current challenges and emerging areas will be explored; potential topics will be selected from the following; feedstock’s and renewable resources, photocatalysis, catalysis with nanoparticles and biocatalysis. The industrial relevance and importance of selected reactions will be highlighted and discussed.

Heterogeneous Catalysis and Related Chemistry
Dr. R.J. Errington
The importance of catalysis will be highlighted through a discussion of the challenges facing the chemicals industry, the principles of “green” chemistry, the use of the E-factor and the need to develop new sustainable processes. A brief historical overview will be presented, followed by descriptions of selected large-scale industrial processes such as Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, CO2 conversion to methanol, alkene polymerization, alkene metathesis and associated examples of molecular studies aimed at understanding the relevant small molecule activation chemistry. The principles of surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC) will be introduced and selected examples will illustrate how this can be used to produce uniform distributions of isolated reactive sites for detailed studies of surface reactivity. The relevance to process innovation using alternative feedstocks will be emphasized throughout.

Teaching Methods

Module leaders are revising this content in light of the Covid 19 restrictions.
Revised and approved detail information will be available by 17 August.

Assessment Methods

Module leaders are revising this content in light of the Covid 19 restrictions.
Revised and approved detail information will be available by 17 August.

Reading Lists

Timetable