Amorphous Metal–Organic Framework‐Dominated Nanocomposites with Both Compositional and Structural Heterogeneity for Oxygen Evolution

Amorphous metal–organic frameworks (aMOFs) are an emerging family of attractive materials with great application potential, however aMOFs are usually prepared under harsh conditions and aMOFs with complex compositions and structures are rarely reported. In this work, an aMOF‐dominated nanocomposite (aMOF‐NC) with both structural and compositional complexity has been synthesized using a facile approach. A ligand‐competition amorphization mechanism is proposed based on experimental and density functional theory calculation results. The aMOF‐NC possesses a core–shell nanorod@nanosheet architecture, including a Fe‐rich Fe‐Co‐aMOF core and a Co‐rich Fe‐Co‐aMOF shell in the core–shell structured nanorod, and amorphous Co(OH)₂ nanosheets as the outer layer. Benefiting from the structural and compositional heterogeneity, the aMOF‐NC demonstrates an excellent oxygen evolution reaction activity with a low overpotential of 249 mV at 10.0 mA cm^?2 and Tafel slope of 39.5 mV dec^?1.     

Active‐center equilibrium in Ziegler–Natta butadiene polymerization

The Ziegler–Natta‐catalyzed polymerization of 1,3‐butadiene was investigated at a low aluminum alkyl/cobalt (Al/Co) ratio using two different soluble catalyst systems: cobalt(II) octanoate/diethylaluminum chloride/water and cobalt(II) octanoate/methylaluminoxane/tert‐butyl chloride. When the active‐center concentration was determined by the number‐average molecular weight technique, it was found that the percentage of active cobalt depended on the Al/Co ratio. Subsequently, an equilibrium reaction was proposed to be Co + 2Al ? CoAl₂, where Co is cobalt(II) octanoate, Al is either of the aluminum alkyl‐activator species, and CoAl₂ is the active catalyst. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2256–2261, 2001     

Controlled polymerization of acrylic acid under 60Co irradiation in the presence of dibenzyl trithiocarbonate

The polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) was performed under ⁶⁰Co irradiation in the presence of dibenzyl trithiocarbonate at room temperature, and well‐defined poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) with a low polydispersity index was successfully prepared. The gel permeation chromatographic and ¹H NMR data showed that this polymerization displays living free‐radical polymerization characteristics: a narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n = 1.07–1.22), controlled molecular weight, and constant chain‐radical concentration during the polymerization. Using PAA? S? C(?S)? S? PAA as an initiator, the extension reaction of PAA with fresh AA was carried out under ⁶⁰Co irradiation, and the results indicated that this extension polymerization displayed controlled polymerization behavior. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3934–3939, 2001     

Biomimetic Model of Coenzyme B12: Aquabis(ethane‐1,2‐diamine‐κN,κN′)ethylcobalt(III) – Its Kinetic and Binding Studies with Imidazoles and Amino Acids and Interactions with CT DNA

Pseudo‐first‐order reaction kinetics and binding studies of trans‐[Co(en)₂(Et)H₂O] complex with 1H‐imidazole, substituted 1H‐imidazoles, histidine, histamine, glycine and glycine ethyl ester were investigated by means of spectrophotometric techniques. Equilibrium constants were determined as a function of pH at 25°. Binding and kinetic studies were correlated to basicity and steric hindrance. From the equilibrium data, it was found that the entering nucleophile is participating in the transition state, an I_d mechanism is proposed. The effect of the incoming ligands on the complex was studied by molecular mechanics. The interaction of trans‐[Co(en)₂(Et)H₂O] with CT DNA was studied spectrophotometrically.     

Necessary conditions for the N‐representability of pair distribution functions

A necessary condition for the N‐representability of the electron pair density proposed by one of the authors (E. R. D.) is generalized. This shows a link between this necessary condition and other, more widely known, N‐representability conditions for the second‐order density matrix. The extension to spin‐resolved electron pair densities is considered, as is the extension to higher‐order distribution functions. Although quantum mechanical systems are our primary focus, the results are also applicable to classical systems, where they reduce to an inequality originally derived by Garrod and Percus. As a simple application, bounds to the average angle between an electron pair are derived. It is shown that computational methods based on variational minimization of the energy with respect to the electron pair density can give extremely poor results unless robust N‐representability constraints are considered. For reference, constraints for the N‐representability of the pair density are summarized. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006     

Cobalt‐Catalyzed Regio‐ and Stereoselective Hydroboration of Allenes

An efficient pincer‐ligand‐based cobalt‐complex‐catalyzed allene hydroboration affording Z‐allylic boronates is described. The reaction demonstrates an excellent regio‐ as well as Z‐stereoselectivity and a wide substrate scope that tolerates many functional groups. Based on solvent‐assisted electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (SAESI‐MS) studies, a rationale for the cobalt‐catalyzed hydroboration involving the highly selective insertion of an allene into the Co?H bond to form Z‐allylic cobalt intermediates is proposed.     

Structural Systematics for Lanthanide(III) Systems: Lattice Interactions in Salts [CoL3][Ln(dipic)3]·nH2O (L = N,N′‐Aromatic Bidentate Ligand; dipic = Dipicolinate = pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylate) Containing Complex Ions of D3 Symmetry

Structural characterisation of a number of hydrated solids containing chiral, kinetically inert [Co(A–A)₃]³⁺ cations (A–A = 2,2′‐bipyridine, 1,10‐phenanthroline, 4,4′‐dimethyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine) and chiral, kinetically labile [Ln(dipic)₃]^3– anions (Ln = La, Eu, Tb, Ho, Er, Lu, Y, though not for all cobalt cations; dipic = dipicolinate = pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylate) show a remarkable range of associations between the lattice components, though all are racemic arrays. Analysis of the structures in terms of short interatomic contacts between the components shows that, whereas numerous contacts of the heteroaromatic ligands do occur, very few define an arrangement which could be truly termed “π‐stacking” where the rings are closely parallel and atom overlaps in projection are substantial. Water is important in the highly hydrated lattice structures, not only because of hydrogen‐bonding interactions with itself and carboxylate‐O atoms but also because of its interactions with the aromatic units. The family [Co(bipy)₃][Ln(dipic)₃]·~13H₂O are essentially isomorphous for the full range of Ln plus Y (triclinic, P\bar{1} , a = 12.3, b = 14.3, c = 16.5 Å, α = 94, β = 94, γ = 108 ?, Z = 2). Among the heavier lanthanides, the potential symmetry of the anion/cation combination is realised in the trigonal space group P\bar{3} , both species lying together as an ion‐pair, disposed on the trigonal axis for [Co(phen)₃][Ln(dipic)₃]·22H₂O (Ln = Eu, Er; a = 15.2, c = 16.8 Å, Z = 2).     

Cobalt‐Catalyzed Carbonylation of N‐Alkylbenzaldimines to ‘N‐Alkylphthalimidines’ (= 2,3‐Dihydro‐1H‐isoindol‐1‐ones) via Tandem C?H Activation and Cyclocarbonylation

The reaction of N‐alkylbenzaldimines with carbon monoxide (CO) in the presence of cobalt (Co) catalysts resulted in the formation of N‐alkylphthalimidines (Table 1). Their formation is proposed to occur by C? H activation of the aryl ring, migratory insertion of the hydride species into the benzaldimine functionality, CO coordination, and insertion into the Co? C bond, followed by reductive elimination of the N‐alkylphthalimidine and regeneration of the starting Co species (Scheme 4). Deuterium (²H)‐labeling NMR studies are consistent with this mechanism (Scheme 5).     

Poly(N‐phenylmaleimide‐co‐acrylic acid)–copper(II) and poly(N‐phenylmaleimide‐co‐acrylic acid)–cobalt(II) complexes: Synthesis,characterization, and thermal behavior

The free‐radical copolymerization of N‐phenylmaleimide (N‐PhMI) with acrylic acid was studied in the range of 25–75 mol % in the feed. The interactions of these copolymers with Cu(II) and Co(II) ions were investigated as a function of the pH and copolymer composition by the use of the ultrafiltration technique. The maximum retention capacity of the copolymers for Co(II) and Cu(II) ions varied from 200 to 250 mg/g and from 210 to 300 mg/g, respectively. The copolymers and polymer–metal complexes of divalent transition‐metal ions were characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The thermal behavior was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG). The TG and DSC measurements showed an increase in the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) and the thermal stability with an increase in the N‐PhMI concentration in the copolymers. T_g of poly(N‐PhMI‐co‐AA) with copolymer composition 46.5:53.5 mol % was found at 251 °C, and it decreased when the complexes of Co(II) and Cu(II) at pHs 3–7 were formed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4933–4941, 2005     

Donor property of cobalt(II) Schiff base complexes toward triphenyltin(IV)‐chloride: A kinetic study

In this study, some cobalt(II)tetraaza Schiff base complexes were used as donors in coordinating to triphenyltin(IV)chloride as acceptors; the kinetics and mechanism of the adduct formation were studied spectrophotometrically. Co(II)tetraaza Schiff base complexes used were [Co(amaen)][N,N′‐ethylene‐bis‐(o‐amino‐α‐methylbenzylideneiminato)cobalt(II)] ( 1 ), [Co(appn)] [N,N′‐1,2‐propylene‐bis‐(o‐amino‐α‐phenylbenzylideneiminato)cobalt(II)] ( 2 ), [Co(ampen)] [N,N′‐ethylene‐bis‐(o‐amino‐α‐phenylbenzylideneiminato)cobalt‐(II)] ( 3 ), [Co(cappn)][N,N′‐1,2‐proylene‐bis‐(5‐chloro‐o‐amino‐α‐phenylbenzylideneiminato)cobalt(II)] ( 4 ), and [Co(campen)] [N,N′‐ethylene‐bis‐(5‐chloro‐o‐amino‐α‐phenylbenzylid‐eneiminato)cobalt(II)] ( 5 ). The reactivity trend of the complexes in interaction with triphenyltin(IV)chloride was Co(amaen) > Co(appn) > Co(ampen) > Co(cappn) > Co(campen). The linear plots of k_obs versus the molar concentration of the triphenyltin(IV)chloride, a high span of the second‐order rate constant k₂ values, and large negative values of ΔS^≠ and low ΔH^≠ values suggest an associative (A) mechanism for the acceptor–donor adduct formation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 44: 635–640, 2012     

Error minimization in the envelope method for the determination of optical constants of a thin film

The algorithm for the determination of optical constants of a weakly absorbing thin film from the envelope method has been modified to minimize the error in the estimated values of extinction coefficient (k) as a function of wavelength. The refinement procedure is based on an extension of interference order adjustment method used for improving the estimated values of film thickness d and wavelength‐dependent refractive index n from the envelope method. The proposed modification when applied to a hypothetical as well as an experimental film is found to work well over a wide spectral region. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kinetic analysis of solid‐state reactions: Precision of the activation energy calculated by integral methods

The integral methods are extensively used for the kinetic analysis of solid‐state reactions. As the Arrhenius integral function [p(x)] does not have an exact analytical solution, different approximated equations have been proposed in the literature for performing the kinetic analysis of experimental integral data. Since the first approximation of Van Krevelen, a large number of equations have been proposed with the objective of increasing the precision in the determination of the Arrhenius integral, as checked from the standard deviation of the approximated function with regard to the real exact value of the integral. However, the main application of these equations is the determination of the kinetic parameters, in particular activation energies, and not the computation of the Arrhenius integral. A systematic analysis of the errors involved in the determination of the activation energy from these integral methods is still missing. A comparative study of the precision of the activation energy as a function of x and T computed from the different integral methods has been carried out. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 37: 658–666, 2005     

Catalytic Dibenzocyclooctene Synthesis via Cobalt(III)–Carbene Radical and ortho‐Quinodimethane Intermediates

The metalloradical activation of ortho‐benzallylaryl N‐tosyl hydrazones with [Co(TPP)] (TPP=tetraphenylporphyrin) as the catalyst enabled the controlled exploitation of the single‐electron reactivity of the redox non‐innocent carbene intermediate. This method offers a novel route to prepare eight‐membered rings, using base metal catalysis to construct a series of unique dibenzocyclooctenes through selective C_carbene?C_aryl cyclization. The desired eight‐membered‐ring products were obtained in good to excellent yields. A large variety of aromatic substituents are tolerated. The proposed reaction mechanism involves intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) to Co^III–carbene radical intermediates followed by dissociation of an ortho‐quinodimethane that undergoes 8π cyclization. The mechanism is supported by DFT calculations, and the presence of radical‐type intermediates was confirmed by trapping experiments.     

A new three‐dimensional cobalt(II) coordination polymer based on V‐shaped 3,4′‐oxydibenzoate: synthesis,crystal structure and magnetic properties

A new coordination polymer (CP), namely poly[(μ‐4,4′‐bipyridine)(μ₃‐3,4′‐oxydibenzoato)cobalt(II)], [Co(C₁₄H₈O₅)(C₁₀H₈N₂)]_n or [Co(3,4′‐obb)(4,4′‐bipy)]_n ( 1 ), was prepared by the self‐assembly of Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O with the rarely used 3,4′‐oxydibenzoic acid (3,4′‐obbH₂) ligand and 4,4′‐bipyridine (4,4′‐bipy) under solvothermal conditions, and has been structurally characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography and powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD). Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction reveals that each Co^II ion is six‐coordinated by four O atoms from three 3,4′‐obb^2? ligands, of which two function as monodentate ligands and the other as a bidentate ligand, and by two N atoms from bridging 4,4′‐bipy ligands, thereby forming a distorted octahedral CoN₂O₄ coordination geometry. Adjacent crystallographically equivalent Co^II ions are bridged by the O atoms of 3,4′‐obb^2? ligands, affording an eight‐membered Co₂O₄C₂ ring which is further extended into a two‐dimensional [Co(3,4′‐obb)]_n sheet along the ab plane via 3,4′‐obb^2? functioning as a bidentate bridging ligand. The planes are interlinked into a three‐dimensional [Co(3,4′‐obb)(4,4′‐bipy)]_n network by 4,4′‐bipy ligands acting as pillars along the c axis. Magnetic investigations on CP 1 disclose an antiferromagnetic coupling within the dimeric Co₂ unit and a metamagnetic behaviour at low temperature resulting from intermolecular π–π interactions between the parallel 4,4′‐bipy ligands.     

Efficient Fe‐Co‐N‐C Electrocatalyst Towards Oxygen Reduction Derived from a Cationic CoII‐based Metal–Organic Framework Modified by Anion‐Exchange with Potassium Ferricyanide

Fe‐Co‐N‐C electrocatalysts have proven superior to their counterparts (e.g. Fe‐N‐C or Co‐N‐C) for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, we report on a unique strategy to prepare Fe‐Co‐N‐C?x (x refers to the pyrolysis temperature) electrocatalysts which involves anion‐exchange of [Fe(CN)₆]^3? into a cationic Co^II‐based metal‐organic framework precursor prior to heat treatment. Fe‐Co‐N‐C‐900 exhibits an optimal ORR catalytic performance in an alkaline electrolyte with an onset potential (E_onset: 0.97 V) and half‐wave potential (E_1/2: 0.86 V) comparable to that of commercial Pt/C (E_onset=1.02 V; E_1/2=0.88 V), which outperforms the corresponding Co‐N‐C‐900 sample (E_onset=0.92 V; E_1/2=0.84 V) derived from the same MOF precursor without anion‐exchange modification. This is the first example of Fe‐Co‐N‐C electrocatalysts fabricated from a cationic Co^II‐based MOF precursor that dopes the Fe element via anion‐exchange, and our current work provides a new entrance towards MOF‐derived transition‐metal (e.g. Fe or Co) and nitrogen‐codoped carbon electrocatalysts with excellent ORR activity.     

Ionic Polymer Microspheres Bearing a CoIII–Salen Moiety as a Bifunctional Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Efficient Cycloaddition of CO2 and Epoxides

We report a unique strategy to obtain the bifunctional heterogeneous catalyst TBB‐Bpy@Salen‐Co (TBB=1,2,4,5‐tetrakis(bromomethyl)benzene, Bpy=4,4’‐bipyridine, Salen‐Co=N,N’‐bis({4‐dimethylamino}salicylidene)ethylenediamino cobalt(III) acetate) by combining a cross‐linked ionic polymer with a Co^III–salen Schiff base. The catalyst showed extra high activity for CO₂ fixation under mild, solvent‐free reaction conditions with no requirement for a co‐catalyst. The synthesized catalyst possessed distinctive spherical structural features, abundant halogen Br^? anions with good leaving group ability, and accessible Lewis acidic Co metal centers. These unique features, together with the synergistic role of the Co and Br^? functional sites, allowed TBB‐Bpy@Salen‐Co to exhibit enhanced catalytic conversion of CO₂ into cyclic carbonates relative to the corresponding monofunctional analogues. This catalyst can be easily recovered and recycled five times without significant leaching of Co or loss of activity. Moreover, based on our experimental results and previous work, a synergistic cycloaddition reaction mechanism was proposed.     

Peptide block copolymers by N‐carboxyanhydride ring‐opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization: The effect of amide macroinitiators

The synthesis of polypeptide‐containing block copolymers combining N‐carboxyanhydride (NCA) ring‐opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was investigated. An amide initiator comprising an amine function for the NCA polymerization and an activated bromide for ATRP was used. Well‐defined polypeptide macroinitiators were obtained from γ‐benzyl‐L ‐glutamate NCA, O‐benzyl‐serine NCA, and N‐benzyloxy‐L ‐lysine. Subsequent ATRP macroinitiation from the polypeptides resulted in higher than expected molecular weights. Analysis of the reaction products and model reactions confirmed that this is due to the high frequency of termination reactions by disproportionation in the initial phase of the ATRP, which is inherent in the amide initiator structure. In some cases selective precipitation could be applied to remove unreacted macroinitiator to yield well‐defined block copolymers. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2009     

Polar effects in free‐radical reactions. A novel homolytic acylation of heteroaromatic bases by aerobic oxidation of aldehydes,catalysed by N‐hydroxyphthalimide and Co salts

A new process for the homolytic acylation of protonated heteroaromatic bases is described; an N‐oxyl radical (PINO) generated from N‐hydroxyphthalimide by air oxygen and Co(II) abstracts a hydrogen atom from an aldehyde. The resulting nucleophilic acyl radical adds to a heteroaromatic base, which is then rearo‐matised in a chain process. Quinazoline has an anomalous behaviour, giving 3H‐quinazolin‐4‐one as the only reaction product.     

Synthesis, Characterization of Heterodinuclear Co-Cu Complex and Its Electrocatalytic Activity towards 02 Reduction： Implications for Cytochrome c Oxidase Active Site Modeling

A new dinudeating ligand consisting of a tetraphanylporphyrin derivative covalently linked with tris(2-benzimidazylmethyl)-amine and its homodinudear Co-Co and heterodinnelear Co-Cu complexes were synthesized and spectroscopically character-ized. The heterobimetallie cobalt-copper complex bearing three benzimidazole ligands for copper, as cytochrome c oxidase ac-tive site model, was applied to the surface of glassy carbon elec-trode to show electrocatalytie activity for O2 reduction in aque-ous solution at an addity level dose to physiological pH value.The kinetic parameters of this electrocatalytic process were ob-tained.