In this study, we have developed a dense La0.85Sr0.15MnO3-δ (LSM) Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 (GDC) composite electrode system for studying the surface modification of cathodes. The LSM and GDC grains in the composite were well defined and distinguished using energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis. The specific three-phase boundary (TPB) length per unit electrode surface area was systematically controlled by adjusting the LSM to GDC volume ratio of the composite from 40% up to 70%. The TPB length for each tested sample was determined through stereological techniques and used to correlate the cell performance and degradation with the specific TPB length per unit surface area. An overlapping spheres percolation model was developed to estimate the activity of the TPB lines on the surface of the dense composite electrodes developed. The model suggested that the majority of the TPB lines would be active and the length of those lines maximized if the volume percent of the electrolyte material was kept in the range of 47 57%. Additionally, other insights into the processing conditions to maximize the amount of active TPB length were garnered from both the stereology calculations and the percolation simulations. Steady-state current voltage measurements as well as electrochemical impedance measurements on numerous samples under various environmental conditions were completed. The apparent activation energy for the reduction reaction was found to lie somewhere between 31 kJ/mol and 41 kJ/mol depending upon the experimental conditions. The exchange current density was found to vary with the partial pressure of oxygen differently over two separate regions. At relatively low partial pressures, i0 had an approximately dependence and at relatively high partial pressures, i0 had an approximately dependence. This led to the conclusion that a change in the rate limiting step occurs over this range. A method for deriving the electrochemical properties from proposed reaction mechanisms was also presented. State-space modeling was used as it is a robust approach to addressing these particular types of problems due to its relative ease of implementation and ability to efficiently handle large systems of differential algebraic equations. This method combined theoretical development with experimental results obtained previously to predict the electrochemical performance data. The simulations agreed well the experimental data and allowed for testing of operating conditions not easily reproducible in the lab (e.g. precise control and differentiation of low oxygen partial pressures).

The current trend in the pharmaceutical industry is towards continuous flow processes. Continuous flow reactor technology can produce a cheaper, better quality product at reduced energy and environmental cost through more efficient mass and heat transfer. It also enables a simplified and faster approach to bulk production by scaling out as opposed to scaling up. The research presented here focuses on the configuration and installation of a continuous flow system into the laboratory, and the transfer of a Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reduction from batch to continuous mode. The Corning® glass continuous flow reactor in our laboratory utilizes specially-designed mixing structures for enhanced mass transfer. Additionally, the glass reactor offers nonreactivity and corrosion resistance over a wide range of temperature and pressure, which conventional steel reactors do not allow. The MPV reduction is a well-known method to prepare primary and secondary alcohols from aldehydes and ketones, respectively. The traditional MPV reduction protocol (Al(OiPr)₃ in isopropanol) was modified to enable the technological transfer from batch to continuous mode. This is the first time MPV reduction reactions were carried out in continuous mode. As a result, the MPV reduction of the model compound, benzaldehyde, was successfully conducted with 60% less catalyst and product yield was improved up to 20% (average of 10%) in continuous flow reactions as compared to current batch technology. These results are being used to develop a technology roadmap for the pharmaceutical industry to implement continuous flow processes in their manufacturing operations.

Recent studies have demonstrated the omnipresence of antibacterial agents in the aquatic environment due to high usage and widespread applications of these compounds in medicine and agriculture, raising concerns over proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other adverse health effects. Tetracyclines (TCs) are among the most widely used antibiotics and their fate and transformation in the soil-water environment are not yet well understood. Based on TCs' strong tendency to interact with metals, their environmental fate and transport are expected to be greatly influenced by metal species commonly present in waters and soils and thus the focus of this study. The study results show that TCs are highly susceptible to oxidative transformation mediated by dissolved Mn(II) and Cu(II) ions and manganese dioxide under environmentally relevant conditions. The oxidative transformation can occur via different TC structural moieties and reaction pathways when different metal species are involved, leading to complicated product formation patterns. It was also found that Al oxide surfaces can promote the acid-catalyzed isomeration and dehydration of TCs. To better evaluate the surface reactions of Mn oxide with TCs and other compounds, a new kinetic model was successfully developed to describe the complex reaction kinetics based on the experimental results with TCs and three other classes of antibacterial agents. Overall, this work significantly advances the fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanisms of TC compounds and provides the knowledge basis for better risk assessment of these compounds in the environment.

Abstract The aim of the thesis is to expand the knowledge of the catalytic properties of platinum-loaded zeolite catalysts in the reduction of NOx by hydrocarbons. The work is divided into three parts. First the recent literature of zeolite catalysts has been introduced, secondly the adsorption capacity, activity, and acidity of the catalysts have been studied by TPD and IR techniques, and thirdly the derived reaction mechanisms based on the obtained data are presented. Parent and 1 wt-% Pt-loaded ZSM-5, Beta, Y, and Ferrierite zeolite catalysts have been studied in the C3H6-assisted reduction of NO. The Pd/Al2O3-based catalyst was used as a reference material for the reaction mechanistic studies. Several experimental techniques (in situ DRIFT, activity measurements, CO chemisorption, N2 physisorption, TPD, and TEM) have been used for the characterisation of the catalysts properties. The IR technique was used as the main technique for the determination of activities, surface species, and the acidic properties of the zeolite-based catalysts. The activity studies carried out by the gaseous FTIR technique provide information on the desired reaction products as well as the undesired by-products. The detection and identification of the surface species as well as the reaction intermediates formed were done by the DRIFT method. The activity experiments indicate the effectiveness of the Pt-loaded zeolite catalysts. The reduction of NO was found to decrease in the order: Pt/Beta > Pt/Y > Pt/Ferrierite > Pt/ZSM-5 in the conditions with excess O2. Platinum can be concluded to have an effect on O2 and NO dissociation. Oxidation reactions of NO to NO2 and propene to CO2 were observed to be more intense over the platinum-loaded zeolites than over the parent zeolites. In this work the reaction mechanisms for the C3H6-SCR of NO were derived over the Pt-loaded zeolite as well as the Pd/alumina catalysts based on the data obtained by DRIFT and activity experiments. The kinetics for the NO reduction by CO over Pd/Al2O3 was also derived. With the methods employed, the mechanistic steps over the Pt-loaded zeolites and Pd/Al2O3-based catalysts could be derived quite precisely and easily for C3H6-SCR of NO. Reaction routes were determined to go via different formations of intermediates over the two catalysts, i.e. via organonitrogen and isocyanate routes, respectively. The IR techniques were discovered to be effective tools in applied engineering studies.

Le but de ce travail de thèse est d’étudier et de rationaliser, à l’aide de mécanismes réactionnels, le comportement sous irradiation de différents matériaux argileux. Les systèmes d’intérêt ont d’abord été le talc synthétique, qui est le prototype d’un matériau non gonflant. Sous irradiation par des électrons accélérés, la production de dihydrogène dans ce système, uniquement due aux groupes hydroxyle de surface, est du même ordre de grandeur que celle obtenue dans l’eau liquide. Ce rendement est divisé par 30 dans le cas du talc naturel de Luzenac, mettant ainsi en évidence l’importance des impuretés comme capteurs des précurseurs du dihydrogène. Des smectites synthétiques, qui sont des matériaux gonflants, ont ensuite été étudiées.Les résultats mettent en évidence la radiolyse de l’eau confinée dans l’espace interfoliaire, qui conduit à des rendements de production de H2 pouvant être deux à trois fois supérieurs à ceux mesurés dans l’eau. Ils sont similaires pour la saponite et la montmorillonite, montrant que la localisation de la charge foliaire ne joue qu’un rôle mineur. Enfin, l’étude des hydroxydes doubles lamellaires ou argiles anioniques, prouve que, dans ce cas, c’est la nature de l’anion dans l’espace interlamellaire qui pilote la réactivité. En parallèle à ces mesures, des expériences de spectroscopie paramagnétique de l’électron ont permis de proposer des mécanismes réactionnels. Enfin, tous les résultats obtenus sont d’intérêt dans le contexte du stockage des déchets radioactifs. / The aim of this PhD thesis is to study and understand, by proposing reaction mechanisms, the behavior under irradiation of various clay materials. The systems of interest were first synthetic talc, which is the prototype of a non-swelling material. Under irradiation by accelerated electrons, the production of dihydrogen in this system, due solely to surface hydroxyl groups, is of the same order of magnitude as the one obtained in liquid water. This yield is divided by 30 in the case of natural talc from Luzenac, thus highlighting the importance of the impurities as scavengers of the precursors of dihydrogen. Synthetic smectites, which are swelling materials, were then studied.The results evidence the radiolysis of water confined in the interlayer space, leading to H2 yields which may be two to three times higher than those measured in water. Moreover, they are similar for montmorillonite and saponite, evidencing that the charge location plays only a minor role. Finally, the study of double layered hydroxides or anionic clays shows that, in this case, the nature of the anion in the interlamellar space controls the reactivity. Parallel to these measurements, electron paramagnetic spectroscopy experiments have enabled proposing reaction mechanisms. Finally, all these results are of interest in the context of the disposal of radioactive waste.

The central topic of this dissertation is to seek the answer to the question: Is the single transition state model appropriate for (1) the proton transfer reactions of nitroalkanes and (2) the aromatic nucleophilic reactions of trinitroarenes? If not, what are the real mechanisms? This objective has been accomplished by careful kinetic and mechanistic studies which take advantage of modern digital acquisition of absorbance - time data, combined with extensive new data analysis of results from pseudo-first-order kinetic measurements. Several new analysis procedures for pseudo-first-order kinetics that are capable of distinguishing between single-step and multi-step mechanisms have been introduced and intensively confirmed during the application in the kinetic study of the target reactions. The procedures include (1) half-life dependence of apparent rate constant, (2) sequential linear pseudo-first-order correlation, (3) approximate instantaneous rate constant analysis, and (4) time-dependent apparent kinetic isotope effects. Various conventional and nonconventional pseudo-first-order kinetic analyses of the reactions of nitroalkanes in aqueous solutions revealed that the reactions are complex and involve kinetically significant intermediates. The spectral evidence for the formation of reactive intermediates was obtained by carrying out the kinetic experiments at the isosbestic points where changes in reactant and product absorbance cancel. The apparent deuterium kinetic isotope effects studies indicated that the deuterium kinetic isotope effects are not associated with the formation of the intermediates. The observations of anomalous Brønsted exponents previously found for this reaction series could be rationalized well with the complex mechanisms proposed in this work, which indicate that the nitroalkane anomaly does not exist, but arises from an interpretation based upon the incorrect assumption that the reactions follow a simple one-step mechanism. Simulations revealed that the generally accepted competitive mechanism was not appropriate to describe the Meisenheimer complex formation during the reaction of 2,4,6-trinitroanisole with methoxide ion in methanol. This conclusion is supported by the conventional pseudo-first-order kinetic analysis. A reversible consecutive mechanism that accounts for the kinetic behavior has been proposed, which involves an intermediate dianion complex that is formed reversibly from the initial 1,3-σ-complex, and then eliminates methoxide ion to form the 1,1-σ-complex product.

L’abandon progressif des ressources fossiles s’accompagne de l’exploitation croissante de la biomasse. Cette transition nécessite de développer de nouveaux procédés notamment en catalyse hétérogène. Les chimistes se heurtent alors à deux défis majeurs : (i) désoxygéner la biomasse (cellulose/lignine) pour revenir à la chimie maîtrisée des grands intermédiaires (ii) rendre les catalyseurs résistants à l’eau, omniprésente en biomasse. En collaboration avec des expérimentateurs de l’Université d’Ottawa, nous nous sommes d’abord intéressés à la désoxygénation d’aromatiques de type lignine. Les calculs ab initio (DFT) nous ont permis de dresser les caractéristiques d’adsorption de ces composés sur Pt(111) en termes de descripteurs moléculaires simples. Nous avons ensuite étudié le mécanisme de décomposition de l’anisole et du 2-phénoxyéthanol, molécules modèles. Nos études ont montré l’importance de l’hydrogène et des fragments carbonés sur la réaction de désoxygéna6on de ces composés. En parallèle nous nous sommes intéressés à la stabilité, dans l’eau, d’un des supports catalytiques majeurs : l’alumine-γ. Ce sujet clé pose des défis considérables en modélisation, puisqu’il nécessite d’utiliser des méthodes de dynamiques moléculaires ab initio. Celles-ci nous ont permis de caractériser la structuration de l’eau au contact de l’alumine et l’importance de la solvatation sur les aluminols de surface. À l’aide de méthodes d’événements rares (dynamique contrainte, métadynamique) nous avons enfin abordé la réactivité d’alcools et de l’eau avec l’alumine hydratée. Ces simulations ont permis d’identifier les premières étapes d’hydratation et de mieux comprendre comment les limiter. / Moving away from fossil ressources is currently being accompanied by the increasing exploitation of biomass.This shift requires the development of new processes, in particular in heterogeneous catalysis. Chemists are nowfacing two major challenges: (i) deoxygenate biomass (cellulose/lignin) to produce platform intermediates with aeel-known chemistry (ii) make catalysts resistant to water, ubiquitous within the context of biomass.Within a collaboration with experimentalists at the University of Ottawa, we have first studied the deoxygenationof lignin-like aromatics. From an ab initio (DFT) inspection, we have characterized and described the adsorptionof such aromatic oxygenates on Pt(111) with simple molecular descriptors. We have then investigated thedecomposition mechanism of anisole and 2-phenoxyethanol. For these two model compounds, we have showedthe significance of hydrogen and carbonaceous species to have the deoxygenation reaction proceed properly.Meanwhile, we have examined the stability, in water, of γ-alumina, a major support in heterogeneous catalysis.The necessity to perform ab initio molecular dynamics simulations makes the modeling of such a systemparticularly challenging computationally. The simulations have nevertheless enabled us to characterize thestructuration of liquid water in contact with alumina and the significance of solvation on surface aluminol groups.Using rare-event methods (constrained dynamics, metadynamics) we have eventually been able to probe thereactivity of alcohols and water with hydrated alumina. We have then identified the first steps of hydration andgained insights on how to limit them.

Ce mémoire est consacré à l’étude des composites à base de phosphates de type NASICON comme matériaux d’électrode pour batteries sodium-ion : Na1+xFexTi2-x(PO4)3/C et Na1+xFexSn2-x(PO4)3/C avec 0 ≤ x ≤ 1. Ces composites ont été synthétisés par voie solide suivie d’une pyrolyse avec le saccharose. Ils sont constitués de particules ayant une porosité élevée et enrobées par du carbone conférant à l’électrode une bonne conductivité ionique et électronique. Les mécanismes réactionnels se produisant lors des cycles de charge-décharge ont été analysés en mode operando par diffraction des rayons X, spectroscopies Mössbauer du 57Fe et de 119Sn et spectroscopie d’absorption X. Pour les composites fer-titane, ces mécanismes sont essentiellement basés sur la diffusion des ions Na+ dans les canaux des phases cristallisées avec changements d’état d’oxydation des métaux. Pour les composites fer-étain, les mécanismes sont plus complexes incluant insertion, conversion conduisant à la destruction des phases NASICON, puis formation d’alliages NaxSn. Les meilleures performances électrochimiques ont été obtenues pour Na1,5Fe0,5Ti1,5(PO4)3/C avec un potentiel de fonctionnement de 2,2 V vs Na+/Na0. Même si ces deux familles de matériaux peuvent être utilisées à plus bas potentiel, les performances doivent être améliorées pour envisager leur application comme électrode négative. / This thesis is devoted to the study of phosphate based composites with NASICON type structure, that are used as electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries: Na1+xFexTi2-x (PO4)3/C et Na1+xFexSn2-x(PO4)3/C with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1. These composites were synthesized by solid state route followed by a pyrolysis reaction with sucrose. They consist of particles having high porosity and coated with carbon giving to the electrode good ionic and electronic conductivity. The reaction mechanisms occurring during charge-discharge cycles were analyzed in operando mode, by X-ray diffraction, 57Fe and 119Sn Mössbauer spectroscopies and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. For the iron-titanium composites, the mechanisms are essentially based on the diffusion of Na+ in the channels of the crystalline phases with changes of transition metal oxidation state. For iron-tin composites, the mechanisms are more complex including insertion, conversion leading to the destruction of the NASICON phases and then reversible formation of NaxSn alloys. The best electrochemical performances were obtained for Na1,5Fe0,5Ti1,5(PO4)3/C with an operating potential of 2.2 V vs. Na+/Na0. Although these two types of materials can be used at lower potential, the performances must be improved to consider their application as the negative electrode.

L’utilisation du dioxyde de carbone (CO₂) comme source de composés C1 pour la chimie fine est intéressante d’un point de vue économique et pour des raisons écologiques. Issu de l’oxydation de la matière carbonée, le CO₂ est un gaz non-toxique, abondant et peu coûteux. Sa transformation en produits chimiques présentant de hautes valeurs ajoutées est actuellement entravée par sa stabilité thermodynamique. Afin de développer de nouveaux processus et catalyseurs pour la réduction catalytique du CO₂, une compréhension détaillée des mécanismes réactionnels de l’activation et de la réduction de ce gaz est nécessaire. En utilisant comme catalyseurs des paires de Lewis frustrée (FLPs) contenant une base azotée liée à un ion silicénium, les influences respectives de l’adduit CO₂-FLP et du réducteur ont été déterminées expérimentalement et par calcul DFT dans le cadre de l’hydroboration du CO₂ en équivalent de méthanol. Une nouvelle réaction visant à la création de liaisons carbone–carbone par le transfert du fragment pyridyle de molécules de pyridylsilanes (C₅H₄N–SiMe₃) sur le CO₂ était également étudiée. Le mécanisme réactionnel de cette transformation a été établi sur la base de calculs théoriques. Nous avons montré le double rôle du CO₂ qui est à la fois un réactif et un catalyseur de la réaction de transfert du groupe pyridyle. La compréhension fine de cette réaction nous a permis de l’étendre à la formation de sulfones et sulfonamides qui sont des groupements chimiques essentiels dans le domaine pharmaceutique. En utilisant le SO₂ à la fois comme catalyseur et réactif, des silanes aromatiques et hétéro-aromatiques ont été transformés en sulfones correspondants en une seule étape. Finalement, nous avons trouvé un couplage croisé original, de type Hiyama, entre espèces aromatiques électrophiles et des espèces C(sp2)–Si nucléophiles en présence de SO₂. / The use of CO₂ as a C1 chemical feedstock for the fine chemical industry is interesting both economically and ecologically, as CO₂ is non-toxic, abundant and cheap. Nevertheless, transformations of CO₂ into value-added products is hampered by its high thermodynamic stability and its inertness toward reduction. In order to design new catalysts able to overcome this kinetic challenge, a profound understanding of the reaction mechanisms at play in CO₂ reduction is needed. Using novel N/Si+ frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs), the influence of CO₂ adducts and different hydroborane reducing agents on the reaction mechanism in the catalytic hydroboration of CO₂ were investigated, both by DFT calculations and experiments. In a second step, the reaction mechanism of a novel reaction for the creation of C–C bonds from CO₂ and pyridylsilanes (C₅H₄N–SiMe₃) was analyzed by DFT calculations. It was shown that CO₂ plays a double role in this transformation, acting both as a catalyst and a C1-building block. The fine understanding of this transformation then led to the development of a novel approach for the synthesis of sulfones and sulfonamides. Starting from SO₂ and aromatic silanes/amine silanes, these products were obtained in a single step under metal-free conditions. Noteworthy, sulfones and sulfonamides are common motifs in organic chemistry and found in a variety of highly important drugs. Finally, this concept was extended to aromatic halides as coupling partners, and it was thus shown for the first time that a sulfonylative Hiyama reaction is a possible approach to the synthesis of sulfones.

The transfer of a hydrogen atom is a crucial step in a wide variety of chemical and biological processes and modus operandi of many metalloenzymes. While several factors that govern the reactivity and selectivity were already clarified in the past century, a growing body of experimental and theoretical studies also revealed numerous gaps in our unified understanding. As a consequence, the direct functionalization of non-activated C-H bonds by synthetic catalysts is still very limited. In the thesis, the hydrogen-atom-abstraction (HAA) reactions are broken down into the elementary proton- and electron-transfer steps and the reactivity/selectivity of oxidants is analyzed with respect to their physico-chemical properties, acidity constants and reduction potentials. First, a quantum chemical (QM)-based computational protocol for calculation of reduction potentials of iron complexes is introduced and validated over a large series of experimental data, including a set of challenging mononuclear FeIV O species that provide direct connection to biomimetic non-heme iron catalysis. Next, the methodology is extended to deal with reduction potentials of transition-metal complexes possessing higher total molecular charges, experimentally measured in polar solvents. In such cases, the accurate description of solvation...