A pure ZnO sample and a sample containing 3 mol% Al were prepared by (co)-precipitation as model materials for the oxidic support phase in Cu/ZnO/Al(2)O(3) methanol synthesis catalysts. The samples were characterized with respect to their crystal, defect and micro-structure using various methods (XRD, TEM, XPS, UV-vis spectroscopy, EPR, NMR). It was found that a significant fraction of the Al is incorporated into the ZnO lattice and enhances the defect chemistry of the material. The defect structure, however, was not stable under reducing conditions as applied in catalytic reactions. Al ions migrated towards the surface of the ZnO nanoparticles leading to formation of an Al-rich shell and an Al-depleted core. This process proceeds during the first 10-20 hours on stream and is associated with strong modification of the optical bandgap energy and the EPR signal of donor sites present in ZnO.

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The synthesis and characterization of a series of cationic copper(II) complexes of the type [Cu(NCR)(6)][Al(OC(CF(3))(2)R')(4)](2) (R = CH(3), Ph; R' = CF(3), Ph, PhCH(3)), incorporating poly/perfluoronated alkoxyaluminates as weakly coordinating anions (WCAs) is presented. Aziridination of various olefins, such as the unreactive olefins e.g. ethylhex-2-enoate and 1-decene, with N-tosyliminophenyliodinane catalyzed by [Cu(NCR)(6)][Al(OC(CF(3))(2)R')(4)](2) affords very good yields (up to 96%) and high TOFs (up to 5000 h(-1)) under mild conditions. Using disubstituted olefins as substrates, high stereoselectivities are obtained at room temperature. The to date highest cis : trans ratio (98 : 2) of the obtained aziridines is achieved for cis-stilbene in good yield (85%) as well as promising TOF (> 2000 h(-1)). The investigation of the solvent effect on yield and selectivity reveals that for certain oleophilic substrates (1-decene), less polar solvents, such as dichloromethane are a better choice than acetonitrile, which is commonly considered as the best solvent for olefin aziridination. Accordingly, a mechanism involving a paramagnetic copper nitrene intermediate with both concerted and stepwise pathways is proposed.

The (133)Cs magic-angle spinning NMR spectra of the paramagnetic compounds CsM(II)[M(III)(CN)6], M(II) = Ni, Co, Fe, Mn; M(II) = Co, Fe, yield unusually large and temperature-dependent signal shifts (up to -950 ppm relative to CsCl at 298 K). Comparison with the spectra of the diamagnetic analogues CsM[Co(CN)6], M = Zn, Cd, shows that the shifts are largely due to the unpaired electrons. This is ascribed to through-bond transfer of spin to the Cs(+) ions, while the through-space effect of the magnetic moments on the signal shifts is shown to be virtually negligible. The mechanism inducing negative spin at Cs(+) is discussed. The magnitude of the spin density (average: |5.8 × 10(-3)| (a.u.) (-3)) suggests that Cs(+) is involved in magnetic exchange interactions of corresponding Prussian blue derivatives.