From Hydroxyalkylammonium Salts to Protected-Rh(O) Nanoparticles for Catalysis in Water: Comparative Studies of the Polar Heads

摘要

Three mono- or tris-hydroxylated quaternary ammonium salts bearing various polar heads were synthesized and investigated as protective agents of rho-dium(0) colloidal suspensions. The influence of the hydroxylated polar head on the micellar behaviour, size and morphology of the nanospecies was studied through surface tension measurements, dynamic light scattering and TEM experiments. Finally, the obtained surfactant-stabilized nanocatalysts were compared in the hydrogenation of benzene and its derivatives under very mild conditions (1 bar of H2, 20 °C) and in neat water.