The development of an efficient catalytic process that mimics the enzymatic function of alcohol dehydrogenase is critical for using biomass alcohols for both the production of H2 as a chemical energy carrier and fine chemicals under waste-free conditions. Dehydrogenation of alcohol-water mixtures into their corresponding acids with molecular hydrogen as the sole by-product from the reaction can be catalysed by a ruthenium complex with a chelating bis(olefin) diazadiene ligand. This complex, [K(dme)2][Ru(H)(trop2dad)], stores up to two equivalents of hydrogen intramolecularly, and catalyses the production of H2 from alcohols in the presence of water and a base under homogeneous conditions. The conversion of a MeOH-H2O mixture proceeds selectively to CO2/H2 gas formation under neutral conditions, thereby allowing the use of the entire hydrogen content (12% by weight). Isolation and characterization of the ruthenium complexes from these reactions suggested a mechanistic scenario in which the trop2dad ligand behaves as a chemically 'non-innocent' co-operative ligand.

We experimentally study one-dimensional, lattice-modulated Bose gases in the presence of an uncorrelated disorder potential formed by localized impurity atoms, and compare to the case of correlated quasidisorder formed by an incommensurate lattice. While the effects of the two disorder realizations are comparable deeply in the strongly interacting regime, both showing signatures of Bose-glass formation, we find a dramatic difference near the superfluid-to-insulator transition. In this transition region, we observe that random, uncorrelated disorder leads to a shift of the critical lattice depth for the breakdown of transport as opposed to the case of correlated quasidisorder, where no such shift is seen. Our findings, which are consistent with recent predictions for interacting bosons in one dimension, illustrate the important role of correlations in disordered atomic systems.

We report on the observation of the hysteretic transition of a commensurate charge modulation in IrTe 2 from transport and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies. Below the transition (T C ≈ 275 K on cooling), a q ¼ 1=5 charge modulation was observed, which is consistent with previous studies. Additional modulations [q n ¼ ð3n þ 2Þ −1 ] appear below a second transition at T S ≈ 180 K on cooling. The coexistence of various modulations persists up to T C on warming. The atomic structures of charge modulations and the temperature-dependent STM studies suggest that 1=5 modulation is a periodic soliton lattice that partially melts below T S on cooling. Our results provide compelling evidence that the ground state of IrTe 2 is a commensurate 1=6 charge modulation, which originates from the periodic dimerization of Te atoms visualized by atomically resolved STM images.

Team work: Although CO(2) binding to metal centers usually involves π coordination to a C=O group or σ bonds to the carbon or oxygen atom of the CO(2) molecule, a new mode of metal-ligand cooperative activation of CO(2) to a ruthenium PNP pincer complex involving aromatization/dearomatization steps is presented in experimental and theoretical studies (see scheme).

Metal–ligand cooperation in a rhenium PNP pincer complex gives rise to the reversible activation of CO2 and H2 and the efficient catalytic decomposition of formic acid under base-free conditions.