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Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World
Inamuddin
Mohd Imran Ahamed
Abdullah M. Asiri
Eric Lichtfouse Editors
Nanophotocatalysis
and Environmental
Applications
Energy Conversion and Chemical
Transformations
Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable
World
Volume 31
Series editors
Eric Lichtfouse, Aix-Marseille University, CEREGE, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Coll
France, Aix-en-Provence, France
Jan Schwarzbauer, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Didier Robert, CNRS, European Laboratory for Catalysis and Surface Sciences,
Saint-Avold, France
Other Publications by the Editors
Books
Environmental Chemistry
http://www.springer.com/978-3-540-22860-8
Sustainable Agriculture
Volume 1: http://www.springer.com/978-90-481-2665-1
Volume 2: http://www.springer.com/978-94-007-0393-3
Book series
Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World
http://www.springer.com/series/11480
Journals
Environmental Chemistry Letters
http://www.springer.com/10311
Nanophotocatalysis and
Environmental Applications
Energy Conversion and Chemical
Transformations
Editors
Inamuddin Mohd Imran Ahamed
Chemistry Department, Faculty Department of Chemistry
of Science Aligarh Muslim University
King Abdulaziz University Aligarh, India
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Preface
v
vi Preface
The global energy crisis and climate change have been labelled as the most critical
environmental challenges in terms of both research and remediation. Non-renewable
energy resources fulfil nearly 85% of world energy demands leading to global
warming and depletion of resources. The exhaustion of finite fuels should be
addressed for a sustainable energy future. Therefore, research is ongoing to harness
the renewable energy during the processes such as photocatalytic and bioproduction
of hydrogen and other fuels. The use of renewable sources of energy and the
mitigation of climate change or global warming are interrelated, and, if both are
worked upon simultaneously, it certainly will make a difference.
The increasing global demand for energy is a result of a population explosion,
which is demanding the intention towards the development of effective strategies for
energy conversion and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This can obvi-
ously be achieved by focussing on non-fossil sources of energy such as solar,
thermal, hydrogen and nuclear energy as well as CO2 capture and photoconversion
of CO2 into fuels. Advanced oxidation processes have evolved during the years, and
scientists are using photocatalysis for energy conversion especially harnessing of
solar energy.
Photocatalytic water splitting for H2 and O2 production using semiconductors is
the most promising fields as a green technology that is accounted for economic
importance. The direct semiconductors mediated water splitting for hydrogen gen-
eration as clean fuel can be performed on a large scale for practical applications. In
general, there are many efficient catalysts reported for the same, but these are active
in ultraviolet light only. The challenge still lies in designing low-cost catalysts that
show high quantum efficiency, ability to work under visible and sunlight as well as
the ability to work without noble metals as co-catalysts. Many works with high
quantum efficiencies have reported on solar- and visible-powered hydrogen emis-
sion by designing novel catalysts by surface modifications, sensitizations, immobi-
lization, formation of Z-scheme junctions, dye-sensitized solar cells, etc. Recently,
significant progress is made to develop and engineer various photocatalysts for this
purpose. The prime solution is bandgap engineering that involves bandgap broad-
ening or narrowing, interparticle electron coupling, reducing recombination of
charge carriers, plasmon-exciton coupling and high surface energy of the catalysts.
Additionally, combustion of fuels and industrial effluents has been threatening as
they release alarming amounts of greenhouse gas as CO2. According to the various
studies, the CO2 level may reach 750 ppm and raise the global temperature further.
Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into syngas, methane, carbon monoxide, methanol,
formic acid and formaldehyde has its own advantages as lowering of greenhouse gas
levels and energy production simultaneously. Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into
fuels is, however, more complicated process as compared to water splitting. This is
because of its dependence on thermodynamics and kinetics of light absorption, band
potentials, charge separation and largely the activation of catalyst, i.e. adsorption of
CO2. Various organic materials as part of catalysts or supports such as carbon
nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, carbon nitride, etc. for CO2 activation as
adsorption and interaction with the catalyst is an important requirement of the
reaction. In addition, very few solar active catalysts are available which are capable
Preface vii
of reducing carbon dioxide. The photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into fuels is in its
embryonic stage, and a substantial development and progress are still required. It is
therefore important to study and analyse various catalysts and technologies devel-
oped so far for better modification and upgradation. Among various energy conver-
sion applications, photocatalysis has also been promising for removal of NOx gases,
volatile organic carbon removal, air clean-up filters and catalytic converters for
vehicle exhausts.
Nanophotocatalysis and Environmental Applications: Energy Conversion and
Chemical Transformations is focussed on fuel production as a source of renewable
energy using photocatalysis. The application of photocatalysis is discussed in areas
such as fuel production including carbon monoxide, formic acid, methanol, methane
and hydrogen and CO2 reduction and water splitting, water purification and purifi-
cation of food industry wastewater and organic synthesis using various types of
photocatalytic materials such as quantum dots, graphitic carbon nitride, metal
oxides, Z-scheme photocatalysts, metal organic frameworks, composites and poly-
meric semiconductors. This is beneficial for analysing the current progress under-
way, which certainly paves ways for new directions for breakthrough technologies to
be developed. Based on thematic topics, the book edition contains the following nine
chapters:
Chapter 1 gives an overview of the main methods to obtain quantum dots and
some examples of their use as a photocatalyst for fuel production.
Chapter 2 summarizes the works on the photocatalytic hydrogen production using
highly stable TiO2-based heterostructured photocatalysts. The emphasis is given on
three important characteristics, namely, UV-active TiO2-based photocatalysts,
visible-active TiO2-based photocatalysts and the effects of various carbon
nanostructures on the photocatalytic hydrogen production efficacy of TiO2-based
heterostructured photocatalysts.
Chapter 3 highlights the method of synthesis of photocatalysts and their possible
modification for performance enhancement in water splitting and CO2 reduction.
Chapter 4 provides the basic principles, terminologies, concepts, state-of-the-art
achievements and the charge transfer mechanism of the photocatalytic reduction of
CO2 using artificial Z-scheme photocatalysts. In spite of these, the development on
semiconductor photocatalytic materials from the perspective of light harvesting as
well as the co-catalyst strategy for potentially boosting the activity and/or product
selectivity for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 along with the future direction of
research using Z-scheme systems are also discussed and highlighted.
Chapter 5 deals with the importance of photocatalysts and their applications for
artificial photosynthesis. The primary photosynthetic applications of photocatalysts
such as supramolecular artificial photosynthetic systems, covalently linked molecu-
lar systems and general mechanism of photosynthesis are also discussed in detail.
Chapter 6 discusses various chemical methodologies, properties and
photocatalytic applications of polymeric semiconductors (carbon nitride, C3N4),
graphene, and metal-organic framework (MOF)-based hybrid nanostructured
photocatalysts for the water purification and the solar hydrogen production.
viii Preface
ix
x Contents
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Contributors
Annelise Kopp Alves Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre,
RS, Brazil
K. S. Ambili Research Department of Chemistry, Kuriakose Elias College,
Kottayam, Kerala, India
R. Badri Narayan Department of Chemical Engineering, Sri Sivasubramaniya
Nadar College of Engineering, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Busra Balli Sen Research Group, Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Arts and
Science, Dumlupınar University, Kütahya, Turkey
U. Bhargava Nano Catalysis and Solar Fuels Research Laboratory, Department of
Materials Science & Nanotechnology, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, Andhra
Pradesh, India
Chiranjib Bhattacharjee Chemical Engineering Department, Jadavpur Univer-
sity, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Paolo Ciambelli Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno,
Fisciano, SA, Italy
Buse Demirkan Sen Research Group, Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Arts
and Science, Dumlupınar University, Kütahya, Turkey
K. P. Gopinath Department of Chemical Engineering, Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar
College of Engineering, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
R. Goutham Department of Chemical Engineering, Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar
College of Engineering, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Enamul Haque School of Medicine and Centre for Molecular and Medical
Research, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia
xi
xii Contributors
Contents
1.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Quantum Dot Semiconductors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.3 Synthesis of Quantum Dots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.4 Application of Quantum Dots for Fuel Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.5 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Abstract Quantum dots, particles with diameters from 2 up to 20 nm, are one of the
sweethearts of nanotechnology because their properties are intermediate between
bulk and discrete molecules and can be tuned according to their size and shape.
Nowadays, quantum dots are one of the most common nanophotocatalysts used to
produce fuel using ultraviolet, visible, or solar light. Traditional methods such as
sol-gel, hydrothermal synthesis, e-beam lithography, microwave synthesis, and
chemical vapor deposition, among others, are suitable for produced quantum dot
photocatalysts. In this context, the most common fuels obtained using photocatalysts
are carbon monoxide, formic acid, methanol, methane, and hydrogen. In this chap-
ter, it will be given an overview of the main methods to obtain quantum dots and
some examples of their use as a photocatalyst for fuel production.
A. K. Alves (*)
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
e-mail: [email protected]
1.1 Introduction
The search for an alternative to fossil fuels as an energy source is more in evidence
than ever. The number of gases in the atmosphere that may cause climate changes is
ever growing due to industrialization, the need to transport goods and people, and the
increasing consumption of energy in general. There are already different approaches
to harvest energy in a not-so-environmentally damaging way. Energy is available
from the wind, the tides, and the sun at practically no cost. All that is needed is a
mechanism that collects, stores, and transfers efficiently the energy nature already
offers to the human been use.
In this regard, researches have tried to find similar results to what happens in
plants, the photosynthesis. It is a complex group of chemical reactions that basically
transforms CO2 and water into carbohydrates (fuels) using the sun’s light. In the last
10 years (up to April 2018), there are approximately 3921 scientific papers published
regarding the synthesis and application of photocatalysts for fuel production
(Fig. 1.1).
The most common fuel photocatalytic produced is, by far, hydrogen, followed by
methanol and methane. In these processes, UV, visible light, or solar simulators as
light sources and different types of photocatalysts were used. This chapter will
describe a review of the most recent publications relating to the synthesis of
nanophotocatalysts for fuel production.
Fig. 1.1 A number of publications by year, consulting the term “photocatalyst fuel production” in
the Web of Science database
1 Nanophotocatalysts for Fuel Production 3
Quantum dots are semiconductors particles with diameters from 2 up to 20 nm. They
are one of the sweethearts of nanotechnology because their properties are interme-
diate between bulk and discrete molecules and can be tuned according to their size
and shape.
Different routes have been used to synthesize quantum dots using both top-down
and bottom-up techniques. Top-down methods include molecular beam epitaxy
(Biswas et al. 2018), ion implantation (Kwak et al. 2018), e-beam lithography
(Kaganskiy et al. 2018), and X-ray lithography (Bertino et al. 2007). In bottom-up
methods, wet chemical and vapor phase methods are used. Wet chemical methods
are generally microemulsion (Liu et al. 2014), sol-gel (Adhikari et al. 2017),
competitive reaction chemistry (Liu et al. 2018a), and microwave synthesis (Lia
et al. 2018). Vapor phase methods include sputtering (Hong et al. 2017), vapor phase
epitaxy (Tile et al. 2018), and chemical vapor deposition (Yang et al. 2016). The
process mechanism of quantum dot-based photocatalysis is not yet fully understood.
In homogeneous photocatalysis, the light can be absorbed by both the quantum dot
and the pollutant molecule. According to a proposed pathway for the photocatalytic
activity of the quantum dots, electrons in the valence band of quantum dots could be
excited to the conduction band and electron-hole pairs could be generated. The
photogenerated electrons can produce superoxide and hydrogen peroxide radicals.
The valence band holes can directly oxidize the pollutants adsorbed on the surface of
quantum dots or mineralize them indirectly through hydroxyl radicals generated by
the reaction of holes and water molecules (Rajabi 2016). Table 1.1 summarizes some
of the most recent application of quantum dot used in the photocatalytic process.
The most traditional approach for the synthesis of quantum dots is called
hot-injection organometallic synthesis. It is based on the heating of organic solvents
and the rapid injection of the semiconductor precursor, under an inert atmosphere in
a batch reactor. This technique was introduced by Murray et al. in 1993 (1993). In
this foundational work, a series of quantum dots (CdE; E¼S, Se, Te) with sizes from
1.5 to 11.5 nm was obtained by controlling the growth temperature.
In 2016, Mir et al. (2016) compared the structural, optical, and sensing properties
of CdSe synthesized using the hot-injection method and a room temperature syn-
thesis protocol. In the first method, the quantum dot had sizes from 2.5 up to 6.3 nm,
compared to the practically monomodal 3.3 nm obtained using the room temperature
method. It was observed by the authors that despite the versatility of the hot-injection
synthesis that may be considered to be supreme as room temperature methods
regarding the production of particles of different size, it yields products that have
limited sensing capability compared to those synthesized at room temperature.
4 A. K. Alves
Reactive direct current magnetron sputtering method is one of the methods used
to obtain quantum dots for large-scale production. In the work of Patel et al. (2018),
NiO quantum dots were produced by this method using Ni target of 99.999% purity,
with flowing Ar and O2. They have used a sputtering power of 50 W and working
pressure of 3 mTorr. The NiO quantum dot was deposited over glass or fluorine-
doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates and presents an average diameter from
5 to7 nm (Fig. 1.2).
Alternatively, the group of Hong et al. (2018) produced NiO quantum dot
embedded into TiO2 particles using the temperature-programmed method. This
method consists of mixing TiO2 powder, urea, and nickel nitrate and heating this
mixture under an N2 atmosphere at 500 C, followed by annealing at 800 C,
obtaining N-doped carbon coating. To remove the carbon the temperature was
1 Nanophotocatalysts for Fuel Production 5
Fig. 1.2 NiO quantum dot obtained by magnetron sputtering method: (a) X-ray diffraction
analysis; (b) transmission electron microscopy image of the NiO quantum dot; (c) thickness of
the samples obtained over glass and fluorine-doped tin oxide glass (Reprinted with permission from
Patel et al. 2018)
Fig. 1.3 NiO quantum dot/TiO2 obtained by temperature-programmed method: (a) X-ray diffrac-
tion pattern, (b) transmission electron microscopy image of NiO quantum dots/TiO2, (c, d) high-
resolution transmission electron microscopy image of NiO quantum dots/TiO2, (e, f) high-angle
annular dark-field images of NiO quantum dots/TiO2 and elemental mapping results of (g) Ti, (h) O,
and (i) Ni (Reprinted with permission from Hong et al. 2018. Copyright 2018 American Chemical
Society)
quantum dot and ethanol for the other precursors) flowed into an atomizer, using N2
as a carrier gas and subsequently atomized at a spray rate of 0.3 mL/min. The
thicknesses of the layers were around 40 nm.
1 Nanophotocatalysts for Fuel Production 7
Fig. 1.4 (a) Transmission electron microscopy image of AgInSe2 quantum dot for sensitized solar
cell produced using a direct aqueous synthesis using glutathione as a stabilizer. (b) AgInSe2
quantum dot incident photon to current efficiency results comparing different stabilizers (Adapted
and reprinted with permission from Li et al. 2017)
Fig. 1.5 (a) Schematic of ultrasonic spray deposition of PbS quantum dot ink. (b) Atomic force
microscopy image (scale bar 1 μm), (c) photographic image, and (d–g) cross-sectional scanning
electron microscopy images (scale bars 500 nm) of PbS quantum dot films deposited by ultrasonic
spray coating for (d) 8 sweeps, (e) 10 sweeps, (f) 12 sweeps, and (g) 14 sweeps (Reprinted with
permission from Choi et al. 2017)
Fig. 1.6 (a) Schematic diagram of an ultrasonic spray nozzle and deposited layers. (b) Transmis-
sion electron microscopy image of the ZnCdSSe/ZnS quantum dots (Reprinted with permission
from Ji et al. 2017. Copyright 2018 American Chemical Society)
Fig. 1.7 Scanning electron microscopy images of pristine TiO2 fibers before (a) and after (b)
NaOH etching. (c, d) TiO2 composite fibers with 2.5 wt% CuInS2 quantum dot. Transmission
electron microscopy image (e) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image (f) of
fibers with 2.5 wt% CuInS2 quantum dot. (g) Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy element
mappings of the elements Ti, O, Cu, In, and S in the fibers with 2.5 wt% CuInS2 quantum dot
(Reprinted with permission from Xu et al. 2018)
10 A. K. Alves
Fig. 1.8 (a, b) High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images, (c) Selected area (elec-
tron) diffraction pattern. (d–g) Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy elemental mapping images of
the ZnO1x/C composite particles. (h, i) High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images
of Zn-free C (Reprinted with permission from Lin et al. 2018)
1 Nanophotocatalysts for Fuel Production 11
particles have around 2 nm in diameter and the carbon quantum dot have around
0,21 nm in diameter. The photocatalytic reaction was carried out using a 400 W Xe
arc lamp, in a previously CO2 purged reactor, under CO2 and water vapor atmo-
sphere. The authors observed that in the conditions that the reaction occurs using this
catalyst, only CO was produced, preferably over methane or methanol, at a rate of
34.1 μmol h1 g1. This is probably because CO needs a minimum number of
electrons and protons to be reduced than CH4.
One of the most researched fuels synthesized using photocatalysis is hydrogen,
especially when derived from the water-splitting reaction in a photoelectrochemical
cell. Although the storage of hydrogen is difficult nowadays, the idea of using a fuel
that generates only water as emission and that the water is the main source of the fuel
is very appealing.
One of the most recent works regarding hydrogen production using
nanophotocatalysts was published by Liu et al. (2018b). In their work,
two-dimensional (2D) SnS2/g-C3N4 catalysts were produced using microwave-
assisted hydrothermal technique. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a layered 2D
nonmetal photocatalyst that has a conduction band (1.22 eV) interesting for H2
generation and also a valence band (1.56 eV) interesting for the photodecomposition
of pollutants. Usually, to promote a better photocatalysis activity, this material is
exfoliated using ultrasound. In the work of Liu et al., after synthesis and exfoliation
of SnS2/g-C3N4, hydrogen production performance was evaluated using a 300 W Xe
lamp. The authors produced samples doping the g-C3N4 with 1, 3, 5 and 10% of
SnS2 (named 1-SCNNs, 3-SCNNs, 5-SCNNs, and 10-SCNNs, respectively). The
results in Fig. 1.9, reprinted with authorization from the authors, show that the best
H2 generation rate reached 972 μmolh1g1 when doping the nitride with 5% of
SnS2. This sample was evaluated considering its reusability and stability in recycling
experiments (Fig. 1.9b). After five cycles, the hydrogen rate was stable, suggesting
great stability of this catalyst.
Usually, the photocatalysts have a specific selectivity toward CO2 reduction or H2
production; rarely there is a catalyst that is effective to both reactions. However, as
observed in the work of Roy et al. (2018), metal-nitrogen-carbon (m-n-c)
electrocatalysts, synthesized using the sacrificial support method, are active to
produce CO from CO2 and hydrogen from water splitting at the same time. They
have used as metals Cu, Mo, Pr, and Ce and aminoantipyrine as a source of nitrogen
and carbon. After the synthesis, the catalysts particles have a diameter from 20 up to
50 nm. Although H2 and CO are produced during electrolysis in a CO2 environment
for all the m-n-c tested catalysts, the results showed that in controlling the amount of
nitrogen present in the catalyst, it is possible to guide the reaction to the formation of
one of the products. A 50/50 CO/H2 ratio (the highest ratio observed) was achieved
for the metal-free catalyst. Adjusting this system to more negative potentials, the
ratio, in this case, shifts toward H2 production (30% CO2–70% H2). In a nitrogen-
rich catalyst, the reaction products shift to the production of hydrogen, preferably.
When using Cu or Mo, the main product was H2. Just trace amounts of CO (less than
1%) were formed when using these metals in the metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts.
12 A. K. Alves
Fig. 1.9 (a) H2 production rate for the different catalysis synthesized. (b) The H2 production rate of
five-layer SnS2/g-C3N4 catalyst in a circulation experiment (Reprinted with permission from Liu
et al. 2018b)
Thus, in controlling the composition of the catalyst and the medium where the
photoelectrolysis works, it is possible to control the composition of the product.
1.5 Conclusion
In summary, quantum dots are a trend in the photocatalysis for fuel production
scientific community due their superior and tunable catalytic properties. Different
methods are used to produce quantum dots, each one adapted to achieve the desired
1 Nanophotocatalysts for Fuel Production 13
characteristic for a specific fuel production. The most common fuels obtained using
photocatalysts are methane, methanol, formic acid, and hydrogen. Among the
catalysts applied for this purpose, it is possible to highlight the transformation of
CO2 using enzymes to produce formic acid, TiO2-CuInS2 quantum dots to produce
methane and methanol, and ZnO-carbon dots to produce CO and the synthesis of H2
using SnS2-g-C3N4 as catalyst. Despite the increased number of publication over the
recent years, there is no standard solution to attend the energetic conundrum, mainly
because scalable, reliable, and reproductive results in large scale are practically
nonexistent. More investment is necessary from companies and governments to
promote the effective use of photocatalyst for fuel production.
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greatly embarrassed to deal with it.[293] Any reply that should
repudiate either the treaty obligation or the principles of American
liberty and self-government was out of the question; any reply that
should affirm either the one or the other was fatal to the system
established by Congress in Louisiana. John Randolph, on whose
shoulders the duty fell, made a report on the subject. “It is only under
the torture,” said he, “that this article of the treaty of Paris can be
made to speak the language ascribed to it by the memorialists;” but
after explaining in his own way what the article did not mean, he
surprised his audience by admitting in effect that the law of the last
session was repugnant to the Constitution, and that the people of
Louisiana had a right to self-government.[294] Senator Giles said in
private that Randolph’s report was “a perfect transcript of Randolph’s
own character; it began by setting the claims of the Louisianians at
defiance, and concluded with a proposal to give them more than they
asked.”[295]
Under these influences the three delegates from the creole
society succeeded in getting, not what they asked, but a general
admission that the people of Louisiana had political rights, which
Congress recognized by an Act, approved March 2, 1805, to the
extent of allowing them to elect a General Assembly of twenty-five
representatives, and of promising them admission into the Union
whenever their free inhabitants should reach the number of sixty
thousand. Considering that the people of Louisiana were supposed
to be entitled to “all the rights, advantages, and immunities of
citizens,” Messieurs Sauvé, Derbigny, and Destréhan thought the
concession too small, and expressed themselves strongly on the
subject. Naturally the British minister, as well as other ill-affected
persons at Washington, listened eagerly to the discontent which
promised to breed hostility to the Union.
“The deputies above mentioned,” wrote Merry to his Government,
[296] “who while they had any hopes of obtaining the redress of their
grievances had carefully avoided giving any umbrage or jealousy to
the Government by visiting or holding any intercourse with the agents
of foreign Powers at this place, when they found that their fate was
decided, although the law had not as yet passed, no longer abstained
from communicating with those agents, nor from expressing very
publicly the great dissatisfaction which the law would occasion among
their constituents,—going even so far as to say that it would not be
tolerated, and that they would be obliged to seek redress from some
other quarter; while they observed that the opportunity they had had of
obtaining a correct knowledge of the state of things in this country,
and of witnessing the proceedings of Congress, afforded them no
confidence in the stability of the Union, and furnished them with such
strong motives to be dissatisfied with the form and mode of
government as to make them regret extremely the connection which
they had been forced into with it. These sentiments they continued to
express till the moment of their departure from hence, which took
place the day after the close of the session.”
Another man watched the attitude of the three delegates with
extreme interest. Aaron Burr, March 4, 1805, ceased to hold the
office of Vice-president. Since the previous August he had awaited
the report of his friend Colonel Williamson, who entered into
conferences with members of the British ministry, hoping to gain their
support for Burr’s plan of creating a Western Confederacy in the
Valley of the Ohio. No sooner was Burr out of office than he went to
Merry with new communications, which Merry hastened to send to
his Government in a despatch marked “Most secret” in triplicate.[297]
“Mr. Burr (with whom I know that the deputies became very
intimate during their residence here) has mentioned to me that the
inhabitants of Louisiana seem determined to render themselves
independent of the United States, and that the execution of their
design is only delayed by the difficulty of obtaining previously an
assurance of protection and assistance from some foreign Power, and
of concerting and connecting their independence with that of the
inhabitants of the western parts of the United States, who must always
have a command over them by the rivers which communicate with the
Mississippi. It is clear that Mr. Burr (although he has not as yet
confided to me the exact nature and extent of his plan) means to
endeavor to be the instrument of effecting such a connection.”
For this purpose Burr asked the aid of the British government,
and defined the nature of the assistance he should need,—a British
squadron at the mouth of the Mississippi, and a loan of half a million
dollars.
“I have only to add that if a strict confidence could be placed in
him, he certainly possesses, perhaps in a much greater degree than
any other individual in this country, all the talents, energy, intrepidity,
and firmness which are required for such an enterprise.”
Pending an answer to this proposal, Burr was to visit New
Orleans and make himself the head of creole disaffection.
Merry was launched into the full tide of conspiracy. At the close of
Jefferson’s first term he saw reason to hope that he might soon
repay with interest the debt of personal and political annoyance
which he owed. While Yrujo was actively engaged in bringing upon
Madison the anger of Spain and France, Merry endeavored to draw
his Government into a system of open and secret reprisals upon the
President.
That the new French minister was little better disposed than
Merry and Yrujo has been already shown; but his causes for ill-will
were of a different and less personal nature. Before Turreau’s arrival
at Washington in November, 1804, Pichon in one of his last
despatches declared that Jefferson had already alienated every
foreign Power whose enmity could be dangerous to the United
States.
“The state of foreign relations offers a perspective which must put
Mr. Jefferson’s character to proof,” Pichon wrote to Talleyrand in
September, 1804.[298] “The United States find themselves
compromised and at odds with France, England, and Spain at the
same time. This state of things is in great part due to the indecision of
the President, and to the policy which leads him to sacrifice everything
for the sake of his popularity.”