Metallic nanoparticles have been the object of intense research during recent years because of their catalytic activity. The case of gold is gold nanoparticles is well-known: Gold is inactive as bulk metal but catalytically active when dispersed down to the nanometer scale. A prerequisite for a quantitative test of the catalytic active are model reactions. A model reaction is a simple and well-defined chemical reaction that is catalyzed by nanoparticles. There should be only one final product and no dissolution of the nanoparticles must happen. In our recent work we demonstrated that the reduction of 4-nitrophenol by sodiumborohydride is such a model reaction: Nitrophenol is reduced to aminophenol without side reactions and the reaction takes only place in the presence of metallic nanoparticles.

Analyzing the catalytic activity of metallic nanoparticles by model reactions

244th National Meeting (2012)

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