DMF-dimethyl sulfate as a new reagent for the synthesis of β-lactams

A number of 2-azetidinones were synthesized in good to excellent yields by a novel reaction between Schiff bases, substituted acetic acids and alkoxymethylene-N,N-dimethyliminium salts, the adduct formed from DMF and O-alkylating agents. The advantages of this new method are mild reaction conditions, low cost, avoiding the use of chlorinating agents and easy purification of the products. The best results were obtained when DMF and dimethyl sulfate were used at room temperature.     

The Role of Free N‐Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) in the Catalytic Dehydrogenation of Ammonia–Borane in the Nickel NHC System

Enders' N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) dehydrogenates ammonia–borane with a relatively low barrier, producing NH₂BH₂ and NHC–(H)₂. The nickel NHC catalyst present in the reaction media can activate the NHC–(H)₂ produced to regenerate the free NHC and release H₂. The release of free NHC enables further dehydrogenation of ammonia–borane.

     

Reversible σ‐Borane‐to‐Borylene Transformation: A Little Something For Everyone

A reaction with many facets : The facile dehydrogenative synthesis of a borylene complex (left in scheme) from a dihydroborane (right), proceeds reversibly at room‐temperature. The implications of this reaction for the fields of inorganic, main‐group, and hydrogen‐storage chemistry are covered in this Highlight.

     

“受阻路易斯酸碱对”催化的不对称氢化反应

不对称催化氢化反应在有机合成化学中占有重要地位,是获得光学活性化合物最有效的手段之一. 近五十年,过渡金属催化的不对称氢化反应得到了快速发展,取得了令人瞩目的成就. 相对而言,非金属催化不对称氢化研究刚刚起步,面临着诸多挑战性难题. “受阻路易斯酸碱对”是由大位阻路易斯酸和路易斯碱组成,由于位阻因素,它们不能形成传统的路易斯酸碱加合物,从而表现出一些特殊的性质和反应活性. 自2006年Stephan小组首次发现“受阻路易斯酸碱对”可逆活化氢气以来,它在氢气,二氧化碳,一氧化氮等小分子活化及催化氢化方面得到了广泛应用. 同时,也为非金属催化的不对称氢化反应提供了难得的机遇,并取得了一些重要研究进展. 本文从手性底物诱导和手性催化剂控制两方面介绍“受阻路易斯酸碱对”在不对称氢化反应中的研究成果,并对这一新兴领域未来的发展进行展望.     

氨基络合物制备氨硼烷及放氢性能研究

以NaBH₄为硼源、氨基络合物Ni(NH₃)₆Cl₂为氨源制备高储氢容量的氨硼烷(NH₃BH₃, Ammonia Borane, AB)及其放氢性能研究. 通过XRD, FTIR, ¹¹B NMR, ICP等手段分析表征了所制备产物的组成和纯度, 在此基础上探究了原料比例、反应温度、时间和溶剂等因素对产物的影响. 同时, 对不同原料比制得氨硼烷的热解放氢性能进行了研究. 实验结果表明: 当物质的量NaBH₄∶Ni(NH₃)₆Cl₂＝2∶1经过10 h的反应, 得到了纯度非常高的氨硼烷(纯度＞99%)|以NaBH₄∶Ni(NH₃)₆Cl₂＝3∶1得到的氨硼烷, 当以2 ℃/min进行升温时, 氢气释放主要集中在第一步, 并且没有硼烷和硼嗪等杂质气体的产生. 另外, 在产物中得到了金属Ni纳米颗粒, 经洗涤干燥后其粒径大小可控制在10 nm左右, 在催化氨硼烷等材料的水解放氢方面具有潜在的应用价值.     

双金属RuM（M=Co，Ni）合金纳米粒子负载于MIL-110（Al）：协同催化氨硼烷水解释氢

By adjusting various Ru/M (M=Co, Ni) molar ratios, a series of highly dispersed bimetallic RuM alloy nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on MIL-110(Al) have been successfully prepared via a conventional impregnation-reduction method. And they are first used as heterogeneous catalysts for the dehydrogenation reaction of AB at room temperature. The results reveal that the as-prepared Ru₁Co₁@MIL-110 and Ru₁Ni₁@MIL-110 exhibit the highest catalytic activities in different RuCo and RuNi molar ratios, respectively. It is worthy of note that the turnover frequency (TOF) values of Ru₁Co₁@MIL-110 and Ru₁Ni₁@MIL-110 catalysts reached 488.1 and 417.1 mol H₂ min^-1 (mol Ru)^-1 and the activation energies (E_a) are 31.7 and 36.0 kJ/mol, respectively. The superior catalytic performance is attributed to the bimetallic synergistic action between Ru and M, uniform distribution of metal NPs as well as bi-functional effect between RuM alloy NPs and MIL-110. Moreover, these catalysts exhibit favorable stability after 5 consecutive cycles for the hydrolysis of AB.     

氧化石墨烯负载的Pt单原子催化硼胺烷水解机理的理论研究

本文研究了氧化石墨烯负载Pt单原子(Pt₁/Gr-O)催化硼胺烷(NH₃BH₃)全水解反应机理,即一分子的NH₃BH₃生成三分子的氢气(H₂)的过程. 在水解路径中,首先吸附的硼胺烷连续断裂两个B-H键生成第一分子的H₂. 接着,一个H₂O分子与^*BHNH₃基团(^*表示吸附态)反应生成^*BH(H₂O)NH₃,其中伸长的O-H键断裂后形成^*BH(OH)NH₃. 然后,第二个H₂O与^*BH(OH)NH₃反应生成^*BH(OH)(H₂O)NH₃,在指向Pt₁/Gr-O表面的O-H断裂后,生成BH(OH)₂NH₃并脱附到水溶液中. 两个水分子脱氢产生的两个H原子脱附生成第二个H₂分子,且Pt₁/Gr-O催化剂恢复. 脱附后的BH(OH)₂NH₃在水溶液中水解生成第三个H₂分子. 纵观整个水解反应,H₂O分子和^*BHNH₃基团的结合是反应速控步,其反应能垒是16.1 kcal/mol. 因此,Pt₁/Gr-O有希望成为室温催化NH₃BH₃全水解催化剂.     

手性噁唑磷烷-硼烷催化还原苯乙酮对映选择性的理论研究

应用密度泛函理论BHandH/6-31G**计算方法研究新型手性非金属催化剂1,3,2-噁唑磷烷-硼烷催化还原苯乙酮的对映选择性反应机理, 确定了在反应途径上的反应物、络合物、过渡态, 中间体和对映体中间产物. 计算结果表明, 该对映选择性还原反应是两个平行的分步反应, 对映体产物主要是(R)构型. 采用同样的方法研究了对映选择性还原反应在甲苯中的溶剂化效应. SCRF计算显示, 甲苯溶剂不改变反应的机理, 但能降低各驻点的能量和(R)反应的位垒, 有利于催化还原反应朝生成(R)构型中间产物的方向进行.     

Single-Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of Biochar from H3PO4-Activated Lettuce Waste for Efficient Adsorption of Cd(II) in Aqueous Solution

Developing an ideal and cheap adsorbent for adsorbing heavy metals from aqueous solution has been urgently need. In this study, a novel, effective and low-cost method was developed to prepare the biochar from lettuce waste with H₃PO₄ as an acidic activation agent at a low-temperature (circa 200 °C) hydrothermal carbonization process. A batch adsorption experiment demonstrated that the biochar reaches the adsorption equilibrium within 30 min, and the optimal adsorption capacity of Cd(II) is 195.8 mg∙g⁻¹ at solution pH 6.0, which is significantly improved from circa 20.5 mg∙g⁻¹ of the original biochar without activator. The fitting results of the prepared biochar adsorption data conform to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (PSO) and the Sips isotherm model, and the Cd(II) adsorption is a spontaneous and exothermic process. The hypothetical adsorption mechanism is mainly composed of ion exchange, electrostatic attraction, and surface complexation. This work offers a novel and low-temperature strategy to produce cheap and promising carbon-based adsorbents from organic vegetation wastes for removing heavy metals in aquatic environment efficiently.     

Vitamin D and bone: — How does vitamin D regulate bone formation and resorption? —

Vitamin D was discovered as an anti-rachitic agent, but even at present, there is no direct evidence to support the concept that vitamin D directly stimulates osteoblastic bone formation and mineralization. It appears to be paradoxical, but vitamin D functions in the process of osteoclastic bone resorption. Osteoclasts, the only cells responsible for bone resorption, develop from hematopoietic cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage. In 1992, we hypothesized that a membrane-bound factor, designated as “osteoclast differentiation factor (ODF)”, is expressed on the plasma membrane of osteoblasts/stromal cells in response to osteotropic factors including the active form of vitamin D₃, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ [1α,25(OH)₂D₃]. Recently, four research groups including ours independently identified three key molecules (RANKL, RANK, and OPG) responsible for osteoclastogenesis. A long-sought-after ligand, ODF, was identical to RANKL. RANKL was a member of the membrane-associated TNF ligand family, which induced differentiation of spleen cells (osteoclast progenitors) into osteoclasts in the presence of M-CSF. RANK, a member of the TNF receptor family, was a signaling receptor essential for the RANKL-mediated osteoclastogenesis. OPG, a secreted member of the TNF receptor family, was a decoy receptor for RANKL. The discovery of RANKL, RANK and OPG opens a new era in the study of bone biology and the therapy of several metabolic bone diseases such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and periodontal diseases.