Friederike Jentoft

Professor

221 Goessmann Laboratory

Chemical Engineering Department
University of Massachusetts Amherst
686 N. Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01003-9303

fcjentoft@umass.edu

413.545-6250

413.545.1647

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Education

Facultas docendi (Habilitation), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2005)
Dr. rer. nat. (summa cum laude), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (1994)
Dipl.-Chem., Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (1990)
Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen (1984-1986)

Research

Introduction

Our research interest is in catalysis. Catalysts facilitate chemical reactions and enable the efficient industrial production of chemicals and fuels. Our goal is to understand how catalytic reactions proceed and how performance of a catalyst is linked to its composition and structure. With this knowledge, we seek to design novel, more effective catalysts. Key competences of our laboratory are in the areas of catalyst preparation, structural and surface characterization, kinetics analysis, and spectroscopic monitoring of the adsorption and reaction of molecules on surfaces.

Target Reactions

Our target reactions are key steps in the conversion of fossil feedstocks or biomass to fuels or chemicals. Currently, we are interested in the following reactions and types of catalysis:

Aldol reactions, methanol-to-olefins conversion (condensations/acid-base catalysis)
Aromatics to paraffins, n- to iso-paraffins (hydrogenation and C-C bond cleavage or rearrangement/bifunctional catalysis with acid and metal function)
Polyols to olefins (deoxydehydration, that is deoxygenation combined with dehydration/redox and acid-base catalysis)

Catalysts

The knowledge regarding catalysts for the above-listed reactions varies – for some reactions, no active and stable materials have been found, whereas for others, active materials exist and may even have been commercialized. Accordingly, some of our efforts target the preparation of novel materials while others are directed towards detailed understanding of the catalyst and the catalytic process. We seek to:

Develop new supported transition metal oxo catalysts for polyol-to-olefin conversion, and stable solid acids for aldol condensation

Explore entire classes of materials such as mixed transition metal carbides for reactions requiring bifunctional catalyst properties, thereby focusing on well-defined materials such as solid solutions for establishing structure-activity relationships
Use uniform and well-defined materials such as zeolites, or well-characterized other solid acids for spectroscopic investigations of reaction mechanisms and deactivation processes.

Analytical Methods

One of our primary techniques for the investigation of catalysts is infrared (IR) spectroscopy, which delivers information on catalyst and adsorbate structures through their vibrational signatures. We are able to perform spectroscopic experiments over a wide range of temperatures and pressures, by using various reaction chambers and by applying transmission and reflectance mode. To complement the information from vibrational spectroscopy, we use diffuse reflectance ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, which provides insight into valence and coordination of catalyst components and the nature of surface species formed during reaction.

To analyze the composition of gaseous and liquid reaction mixtures, we use chromatography, mass spectrometry, and IR spectroscopy. Thermogravimetry (optionally combined with differential scanning calorimetry) is applied to monitor important steps in catalyst preparation, as well as the adsorption and desorption of probe molecules or reactants.

Publications

Complete List of Publications (pdf, updated October 12, 2021)

EDITED BOOKS

Advances in Catalysis, Volume 58 (2015) and Volume 57 (2014), F.C. Jentoft, Editor; Academic Press (Elsevier), Amsterdam.

Advances in Catalysis, Volume 56 (2013) and Volume 55 (2012), B.C. Gates and F.C. Jentoft, editors; Academic Press (Elsevier), Amsterdam.

Advances in Catalysis, Volume 54 (2011), Volume 53 (2010), and Volume 52 (2009), B.C. Gates and H. Knözinger, editors; F.C. Jentoft, Associate Editor; Academic Press (Elsevier), Amsterdam.

EDITED JOURNAL ISSUES

Topics in Catalysis 60, 19-20 (2017). “Catalyst Characterization by Vibrational Spectroscopy” in memoriam Helmut Knözinger; guest editors: F.C. Jentoft and G. Mestl.

Topics in Catalysis 54, 5-7 (2011). Festschrift entitled “Concepts in Catalysis Research”, on the occasion of the 70th birthday of Bruce C. Gates; guest editors: F.C. Jentoft and H. Knözinger.

SELECTED RESEARCH ARTICLES

Spectroscopic signatures reveal cyclopentenyl cation contributions in methanol-to-olefins catalysis, E.D. Hernandez, F.C. Jentoft, ACS Catalysis 10 (2020) 5764−5782.

Fundamental insights into deactivation by leaching during rhenium-catalyzed deoxydehydration, B.E. Sharkey, F.C. Jentoft, ACS Catalysis 9 (2019) 11317-11328.

Poisoning and competitive adsorption effects during phenol hydrogenation on platinum in water-alcohol mixtures, Z. Liu, I.A. Hamad, Y. Li, Y. Chen, S. Wang, R.E. Jentoft, F.C. Jentoft, Applied Catalysis A: General 585 (2019) 117199.

Products of the initial reduction of the Phillips catalyst by olefins, J. Joseph, K.C. Potter, M.J. Wulfers, Eric Schwerdtfeger, M.P. McDaniel, F.C. Jentoft, Journal of Catalysis 377 (2019) 550–564.

Intraparticle diffusional effects vs. site effects on reaction pathways in liquid-phase cross aldol reactions, K. Ponnuru, J.C. Manayil, H.J. Cho, W. Fan, K. Wilson, F.C. Jentoft, ChemPhysChem 19 (2018) 386–401.

Tuning solid catalysts to control regioselectivity in cross aldol condensations with unsymmetrical ketones for biomass conversion, K. Ponnuru, J.C. Manayil, H.J. Cho, A. Osatiashtiani, W. Fan, K. Wilson, F.C. Jentoft, Molecular Catalysis 458 (2018) 247-260

Single-phase mixed molybdenum-niobium carbides: Synthesis, characterization and multifunctional catalytic behavior in toluene conversion, A. Mehdad, R.E. Jentoft, F.C. Jentoft, Journal of Catalysis 351 (2017) 161-173.

Hydrogenation of o-Cresol on Platinum Catalysts: Catalytic Experiments and First-Principles Calculations, Y. Li, Z. Liu, W. Xue, S.P. Crossley, F.C. Jentoft, S. Wang, Applied Surface Science 393 (2017) 212-220.

Mechanism of n-Butane Skeletal Isomerization on H-mordenite and Pt/H-mordenite, M.J. Wulfers, F.C. Jentoft, Journal of Catalysis 330 (2015) 507–519.

The Role of Cyclopentadienium Ions in Methanol-to-Hydrocarbons Chemistry, M.J. Wulfers, F.C. Jentoft, ACS Catalysis 4 (2014) 3521−3532.

Deoxydehydration of Glycols Catalyzed by Carbon-Supported Perrhenate, A.L. Denning, H. Dang, Z. Liu, K.M. Nicholas, F.C. Jentoft, ChemCatChem. 5 (2013) 3567–3570.

Intensities of С-Н IR Stretching Bands of Ethane and Propane Adsorbed by Zeolites as a New Spectral Criterion of Their Chemical Activation via Vibrational Polarization, V.B. Kazansky, I.R. Subbotina, F.C. Jentoft, R. Schlögl, J. Physical Chemistry B 110 (2006) 17468–17477.

Incorporation of Manganese and Iron into the Zirconia Lattice in Promoted Sulfated Zirconia Catalysts,F.C. Jentoft, A. Hahn, J. Kröhnert, G. Lorenz, R.E. Jentoft, T. Ressler, U. Wild, R. Schlögl, Journal of Catalysis 224 (2004) 124–137.

The Role of the "Glow Phenomenon" in the Preparation of Sulfated Zirconia Catalysts, A. Hahn, T. Ressler, R.E. Jentoft, F.C. Jentoft, Chemical Communications (2001) 537–538.

REVIEWS AND FEATURE ARTICLES

UV–vis–NIR Spectroscopy in Catalysis: Theory, Experiment, Analysis, and Application under Reactive Conditions, F.C. Jentoft, Advances in Catalysis 52 (2009) 129-211.

Silver as Acrolein Hydrogenation Catalyst: Intricate Effects of Catalyst Nature and Reactant Partial Pressures, M. Bron, D. Teschner, A. Knop-Gericke, F.C. Jentoft, J. Kröhnert, J. Hohmeyer, C. Volckmar, B. Steinhauer, R. Schlögl, P. Claus, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 9 (2007) 3559–3569.

Solid-Acid-Catalyzed Alkane Cracking Mechanisms: Evidence from Reactions of Small Probe Molecules,F.C. Jentoft, B.C. Gates, Topics in Catalysis 4 (1997) 1–13.

BOOK CONTRIBUTIONS

Solid Acids and Bases, F.C. Jentoft, in Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry II Vol. 7, Eds. Jan Reedijk and Kenneth R. Poeppelmeier, Oxford: Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2013, pp. 205−230.

Electronic Spectroscopy: Ultraviolet-Visible and Near-IR Spectroscopy, F.C. Jentoft, Characterization of Solid Materials and Heterogeneous Catalysts: From Structure to Surface Reactivity, Eds. M. Che, J.C. Védrine, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Germany, 2012, pp. 89–147.

Oxo-Anion Modified Oxides, F.C. Jentoft, Handbook of Heterogeneous Catalysis, Vol. I, Eds. G. Ertl, H. Knözinger, F. Schüth, J. Weitkamp, 2nd ed., Wiley-VCH, 2008, pp. 262-278.

Honors

Carl Zerbe Award of the DGMK (1996)
Young Scientists Prize of the International Association of Catalysis Societies (2000)
Member and Chair (2009-2013) of the Acid-Base-Catalysis Board of Directors (2005-2013)
Editorial Board, Applied Catalysis A: General (2007-2010)
Associate Editor/Editor, Advances in Catalysis (2008-2015)
International Advisory Board, ChemCatChem (2013-2016)
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Presidential Professorship (2014)
Excellence in Catalysis Award, Catalysis Society of Metropolitan New York (2018)
UMass College of Engineering Outstanding Senior Faculty Award (2021)
Lady Davis Visiting Professor, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Technion (2021)
Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2021)
Vice Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, University of Kansas (2022-present)

Experience

Associated Collaborator, Siemens AG Power Generation Group, Munich/Erlangen/Redwitz (1989-1993)
Research Assistant, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich (1993-1994)
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Davis (1994-1995)
Group Leader, Fritz Haber Institute, Max Planck Society, Berlin (1996-2008)
Associate Professor/Professor, University of Oklahoma, Norman (2008-2014)

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