This unique book covers the latest surface science studies on model catalysts, including single crystals, non-colloidal nanocatalysts, and nanoparticles in various forms with the control of size, shape and composition. This book addresses the issue of bridging “materials and pressure gaps” and also discusses the important issue of metal-oxide interface and hot electron flows in heterogeneous catalysis. The current development of in-situ surface techniques that is relevant to bridging “pressure gaps” is also highlighted.

Chemistry and chemical engineering have changed significantly in the last decade. They have broadened their scopeâ€"into biology, nanotechnology, materials science, computation, and advanced methods of process systems engineering and controlâ€"so much that the programs in most chemistry and chemical engineering departments now barely resemble the classical notion of chemistry. Beyond the Molecular Frontier brings together research, discovery, and invention across the entire spectrum of the chemical sciencesâ€"from fundamental, molecular-level chemistry to large-scale chemical processing technology. This reflects the way the field has evolved, the synergy at universities between research and education in chemistry and chemical engineering, and the way chemists and chemical engineers work together in industry. The astonishing developments in science and engineering during the 20th century have made it possible to dream of new goals that might previously have been considered unthinkable. This book identifies the key opportunities and challenges for the chemical sciences, from basic research to societal needs and from terrorism defense to environmental protection, and it looks at the ways in which chemists and chemical engineers can work together to contribute to an improved future.

The need to improve both the efficiency and environmental acceptability of industrial processes is driving the development of heterogeneous catalysts across the chemical industry, including commodity, specialty and fine chemicals and in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Drawing on international research, Supported Catalysts and their Applications discusses aspects of the design, synthesis and application of solid supported reagents and catalysts, including supported reagents for multi-step organic synthesis; selectivity in oxidation catalysis; mesoporous molecular sieve catalysts; and the use of Zeolite Beta in organic reactions. In addition, the two discrete areas of heterogeneous catalysis (inorganic oxide materials and polymer-based catalysts) that were developing in parallel are now shown to be converging, which will be of great benefit to the whole field. Providing a snapshot of the state-of-the-art in this fast-moving field, this book will be welcomed by industrialists and researchers, particularly in the agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals industries.

The last two decades have seen a rapid growth in the synthetic processing of both simple and complex molecules, aimed at meeting the needs of society in all aspects of life. Many efforts have been devoted to the development of new biologically active compounds, new materials with innovative properties such as bio-compatibility, new catalysts that allow highly selective transformations, and technologies that facilitate the synthetic pro cesses. This book is a compendium of recent progress in all these aspects of synthetic chemistry. It collects the lectures of the XII International Conference on Organic Synthesis, held in Venice from June 28 to July 2, 1998, in which the present state of art of this discipline has been reported. The topics covered include: combinatorial chemistry, new synthetic methods, stereo selective synthesis, metal-mediated synthesis, and target oriented synthesis. The book collects the contributions, in the mentioned topics, of 43 scientists from 19 different countries. The contributions presented in the Conference as plenary lectures are reported in the first section of the book. Particular attention has been dedicated to combinatorial chemistry, a new and promising methodology for the synthesis of libraries of pharmaco logically interesting compounds in order to allow the automatic pharmacological screening of thousands of compounds. The Conference has dedicated to combinatorial chemistry a mini-symposium in which scientists from academy and companies have described the current trends of this very new technology.

The impact of catalysis on the nation's economy is evidenced by the fact that catalytic technologies generate U.S. sales in excess of $400 billion per year and a net positive balance of trade of $16 billion annually. This book outlines recent accomplishments in the science and technology of catalysis and summarizes important likely challenges and opportunities on the near horizon. It also presents recommendations for investment of financial and human resources by industry, academe, national laboratories, and relevant federal agencies if the nation is to maintain continuing leadership in this fieldâ€"one that is critical to the chemical and petroleum processing industries, essential for energy-efficient means for environmental protection, and vital for the production of a broad range of pharmaceuticals.

The synthesis of enantiopure organic compounds is a key issue for several applications in pharmacology, food chemistry, agricultural chemistry, perfumery, materials science and other industrial sectors. Nowadays, asymmetric catalysis is undoubtedly the most important tool to achieve this goal. This technology, in fact, enables the production of large amounts of enantiomerically enriched compounds, employing relatively small quantities of chiral enantiopure catalysts, which is exactly what is accomplished by enzymes in nature. Since the pioneering works of Noyori, Knowles and Sharpless, which later earned them the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, asymmetric catalysis has experienced a rapid and relentless development in the last fifty years. The tremendous expansion of enantioselective transformations, the design of novel and more efficient organometallic and organic catalysts, the development of sophisticated bioreactors and cell factories, are just some of the elements responsible for such growth. However, new challenges of asymmetric catalysis are devoted to enhancing the process’s sustainability, by the introduction of recyclable and low-cost catalysts, and the use of renewable starting materials and energy source. This book provides an overview of some of these development directions and comprises a collection of review papers and a research article authored by renowned researchers actively involved in this field. The topics covered by the review papers are photoredox-catalyzed reactions of imines, asymmetric catalytic electrosynthesis, cooperative catalysis of chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes and Lewis acid, and asymmetric ring-opening reactions of epoxides catalyzed by metal–salen complexes. The research article presents a proline-catalyzed aldol reaction in water–methanol solvent mixture.