This year is already proving good for research into new catalysts. John Shelnutt and colleagues at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have shown that porphyrin molecules embedded in fatty droplets called liposomes can, in the presence of platinum ions and light, form foamy platinum nanostructures. These nanostructures turn out to be amazing catalysts that allow hydrogen atoms to be split off from water by light.
Meanwhile, Gregg Deluga of the University of Minnesota and colleagues have found a way to turn alcohol into hydrogen by simply passing it, together with air and water vapour, over a sequence of two catalysts. The first catalyst, made of rhodium and cerium oxide, makes hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, and the second, made of platinum and cerium oxide, turns the carbon monoxide and water vapour into carbon dioxide and more hydrogen. The reaction takes place at over 700 °C, but once started it is exothermic so the process warms itself. This is exciting news as it offers a way to convert alcohol - which is easy to produce commercially in large quantities in a completely renewable and environment-friendly way - into a fuel whose only waste product on burning is pure water.
Finally, a new way has been found to split diatomic nitrogen, which is abundant in the atmosphere but almost inert chemically, into single nitrogen atoms, which can be made into important compounds of industrial and commercial value, such as ammonia. Paul J Chirik of Cornell University and colleagues have developed a novel semi-organic zirconium-based catalyst that does the job at 100 °C and atmospheric pressure. In contrast, the traditional Haber-Bosch process requires high temperatures between 400 and 500 °C and about 400 atmospheres of pressure.
Further reading
Y Song et al. 2004 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126 635.
G A Deluga et al. 2004 Science 303 993.
J A Pool, E Lobkovsky and P J Chirik 2004 Nature 427 527.