Studies on the catalytic activity of Nano-$OsO_2$ in oxidation of alkenes and alkynes

Abstract

1. Studies on the Catalytic Activity of $Nano-OsO_2$ in Oxidation of Alkenes and Alkynes We demonstrate that mesostructured materials that consist of metal oxide are suitable for the use as heterogeneous oxidation catalysts. Mesostructured $OsO_2$ complex exhibits high catalytic activity for the oxidation of alkenes and alkynes under mild conditions. Selectivity of product turned out to be controlled by adjusting the amount of oxidant with high reactivity. In addition, we have observed that the catalyst could be readily recovered from the reaction mixture and reused up to sixth recycle without much loss of catalytic activity. 2. Sterically Induced Shape and Crystalline Phase Control of GaP Nanocrystals We demonstrate a novel synthetic scheme that can be used to control the crystalline phase and shape of GaP semiconductor nanocrystals. Our study shows that steric effects of surfactant ligands can modulate the crystalline phases and control the shapes of nanocrystals. The shape of the nanocrystals obtained varies from zero-dimensional spheres to one-dimensional rods via controlling the ratio between primary and tertiary alkylamines. III-V semiconductors (in our case: GaP) under 10 nm in width are first reported, and unique optical properties due to shape anisotropy are also observed.