Speaker:

Dr. Basheer Chanbasha

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, KSA

Abstract:

Paper spray is a direct sampling ionization method in open air, recently introduced for the mass spectrometric analysis of complex chemical mixture. We have developed nanoparticle-embedded paper-spray mass spectrometry for studying three types of heterogeneous catalysis: (1) palladium nanoparticle catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling reaction, (2) palladium or silver nanoparticle catalyzed 4-nitrophenol reduction, and (3) gold nanoparticle catalyzed glucose oxidation. These reactions were almost instantaneous on the nanocatalyst-embedded paper, subsequently transferring the transient intermediates and products to a mass spectrometer for their detection. This in situ method of capturing transient intermediates and products from heterogeneous catalysis is highly promising for investigating the mechanism of catalysis and rapidly screening catalytic activity under ambient conditions.