Redox‐Neutral α‐Allylation of Amines by Combining Palladium Catalysis and Visible‐Light Photoredox Catalysis

An unprecedented α‐allylation of amines was achieved by combining palladium catalysis and visible‐light photoredox catalysis. In this dual catalysis process, the catalytic generation of allyl radical from the corresponding π‐allylpalladium intermediate was achieved without additional metal reducing reagents (redox‐neutral). Various allylation products of amines were obtained in high yields through radical cross‐coupling under mild reaction conditions. Moreover, the transformation was applied to the formal synthesis of 8‐oxoprotoberberine derivatives which show potential anticancer properties.     

Identification of tert‐Butyl Cations in Zeolite H‐ZSM‐5: Evidence from NMR Spectroscopy and DFT Calculations

Experimental evidence for the presence of tert‐butyl cations, which are important intermediates in acid‐catalyzed heterogeneous reactions, on solid acids has still not been provided to date. By combining density functional theory (DFT) calculations with ¹H/¹³C magic‐angle‐spinning NMR spectroscopy, the tert‐butyl cation was successfully identified on zeolite H‐ZSM‐5 upon conversion of isobutene by capturing this intermediate with ammonia.     

Regio‐ and Enantioselective Aza‐Diels–Alder Reactions of 3‐Vinylindoles: A Concise Synthesis of the Antimalarial Spiroindolone NITD609

An asymmetric aza‐Diels–Alder reaction of 3‐vinylindoles with isatin‐derived ketimines has been developed. A series of spiroindolone derivatives were thus obtained in good to excellent yields with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 96 % yield and 99 % ee). Furthermore, the antimalarial compound NITD609 could be obtained in three steps with an overall yield of 40.6 %. Control experiments and operando IR experiments imply a concerted reaction pathway. The regioselectivity and exo selectivity result from π–π interactions between the two indoline rings of the two reactants.     

Directed meta‐Selective Bromination of Arenes with Ruthenium Catalysts

A Ru‐catalyzed direct C? H activation/meta‐bromination of arenes bearing pyridyl, pyrimidyl, and pyrazolyl directing groups has been developed. A series of bromo aryl pyridines and pyrimidines have been synthesized, and further coupling reactions have also been demonstrated for a number of representative functionalized arenes. Preliminary mechanistic studies have revealed that this reaction may proceed through radical‐mediated bromination when NBS is utilized as the bromine source. This type of transformation has opened up a new direction for the radical non‐ipso functionalization of metal with regard to future C? H activation development that would allow the remote functionalization of aromatic systems.     

Using PDMS coated TFC-RO membranes for CO2/N2 gas separation: Experimental study,modeling and optimization

Thin film composite (TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are semipermeable membranes that are utilized in water purification or water desalination systems. Discarding these membranes after end-of-life leads to environmental problems. Reusing old TFC-RO membranes is one way to solve this problem. For this reason, in this study, used TFC-RO membranes were coated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for CO₂/N₂ gas separation application. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was utilized to confirm the crosslinking of coated PDMS. The morphology of PDMS/TFC-RO membranes was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The parameters that can affect performance of prepared membranes (N₂ permeance and CO₂/N₂ selectivity) are concentration of PDMS solution, coating time, solvent evaporation time and curing temperature and time. Given that the used membranes don't have uniform surfaces, the first step of this study was to investigate the effect of the above mentioned factors on virgin membranes using fractional factorial design (FFD) of experiments. The results obtained showed that PDMS concentration is the most significant factor that has a negative effect on N₂ permeance and positive effect on CO₂/N₂ selectivity. The reported CO₂/N₂ selectivity of PDMS membranes was 11–12, but this selectivity for prepared PDMS/TFC-RO membranes was in the range of 6.7–22.5. After determining optimum conditions, the gas separation performance of PDMS coated used TFC-RO membrane under these conditions was finally determined. The results showed that the used membranes had a better performance than virgin membranes.     

基于FeWOx/SiO2载氧体的甲烷化学链部分氧化反应

甲烷具有价格低廉且储量丰富的优点,因此将甲烷转化为合成气(一种H2:CO为2的混合物),从而进一步合成有价值的化学品和液体燃料引起了人们的极大关注.化学链甲烷部分氧化(CLPOM)技术能避免甲烷与空气直接接触而引起爆炸的危险,可以降低后续对合成气与氮气分离操作所带来的费用,因此日益受到关注.CLOPM过程主要分为两步:第一步,CH4被载氧体所携带的氧部分氧化,载氧体被还原;第二步,利用氧化剂(例如空气)将被还原的载氧体再氧化恢复.因此,载氧体在CLOPM过程中起到至关重要的作用.载氧体的选择主要存在两个问题:(1)甲烷被活化所产生含碳产物的能力与晶格氧的给氧能力不匹配所带来的严重碳沉积;(2)金属离子间扩散速率不匹配而造成载氧体在氧化还原过程中结构的不可逆变化.基于上述两个问题,本文设计了FeWOx/SiO2载氧体用于CLPOM.与未改性的WO3/SiO2载氧体相比,甲烷的转化率和合成气的收率都有显著提高.FeWOx/SiO2在900℃、1 atm反应条件下表现出62%的甲烷转化率、93%的CO气相选择性、94%的H2选择性和2.4的H2/CO比值,同时在50个循环中表现出优异的催化活性和稳定性.本工作利用CH4脉冲反应研究了FeWOx/SiO2的甲烷表面反应过程;采用CH4-TPR和H2-TPR相结合探究了甲烷活化速率与晶格氧扩散速率之间的关系;通过XPS和XRD对FeWOx/SiO2在氧化还原过程中的结构稳定性进行了探讨.综合上述实验结果,对FeWOx/SiO2应用于CLPOM的反应机理进行了阐述.H2-TPR结果表明,在FeWOx/SiO2中,相较于Fe2O3/SiO2,Fe-O的活性受到抑制,使其更倾向于与甲烷发生部分氧化反应;相较于WO3/SiO2,W-O的活性得到明显提升,因此更多的晶格氧可以参与到部分氧化反应中来氧化积碳,从而使合成气收率大幅度提升.从CH4-TPR结果可以看出,对于FeWOx/SiO2,CO与H2的生成温度最接近,意味着晶格氧的传输速率较快并且能够与甲烷活化产生含碳中间物种的速率相匹配,将其及时氧化生成CO,避免由于积碳造成的催化剂失活.结合XPS和XRD结果可以得出,在甲烷还原过程中,FeWOx经历一步还原形成Fe-W合金,由于其间存在强相互作用,因而抑制了还原过程中催化剂相分离现象的发生.同时,根据铁钨离子在空气条件下扩散速率的公式计算可以得出,其相近的离子氧化速率也保证了在氧化过程中催化剂结构的稳定性.本工作为进一步构建用于甲烷化学链部分氧化制合成气的复合金属氧化物载氧体提供了研究思路.     

C.I.颜料红177中间体的制备工艺改进

本文较为系统地研究了铜粉催化剂加入方式对C.I.颜料红177中间体4,4'-二氨基-1,1'-二蒽醌-3,3'-二磺酸(DAS)合成过程中的乌尔曼偶联反应速率的影响规律。 研究结果表明,在55 ℃较佳反应温度下,先加入与溴氨酸钠质量比为2:5的铜粉,反应一段时间后再加入与溴氨酸钠的质量比为1:5的铜粉,与一次性加入与溴氨酸钠的质量比为3:5的铜粉相比较,综合反应时间可节省2~3 h。 另外,对于DAS中混有的铜盐,采取在制备过程中加入柠檬酸的方法予以去除,此举可提高DAS的纯度。 当铜粉与柠檬酸的质量比为6:1时,可使DAS中铜盐的含量小于0.001%。 此外还探究了蒸馏后滤液的剩余量对DAS收率的影响,结果表明,滤液的剩余量在20 mL时,DAS的收率在95%以上。 基于本文的研究结果提出,欲进一步提高该反应的收率,需要寻找更高效的催化剂。     

准固态锂离子电池正极材料柱[5]醌的研究

锂离子电池的有机正极材料由于具有比容量高、环境友好和廉价等优点,近年来成为研究的热点.但是,有机电极材料在液态电解液中的溶解流失易导致其容量迅速衰减,严重限制了它们的实际应用.本工作基于聚(甲基丙烯酸酯)/聚乙二醇的准固态电解质,考察了以柱[5]醌为正极的准固态锂二次电池的电化学性能.结果显示,柱[5]醌正极不仅保持了高容量的特性(首次放电容量410 mA h/g),并且循环寿命得到了有效提高.0.2 C下循环100周后,电极的容量保持率为88.5%,显示了柱[5]醌在高比能量准固态锂离子电池中的应用潜力.     

o‐Fluorination of Aromatic Azides Yields Improved Azido‐Based Fluorescent Probes for Hydrogen Sulfide: Synthesis,Spectra, and Bioimaging

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is an endogenously produced gaseous signaling molecule with multiple biological functions. To visualize the endogenous in situ production of H₂S in real time, new coumarin‐ and boron‐dipyrromethene‐based fluorescent turn‐on probes were developed for fast sensing of H₂S in aqueous buffer and in living cells. Introduction of a fluoro group in the ortho position of the aromatic azide can lead to a greater than twofold increase in the rate of reaction with H₂S. On the basis of o‐fluorinated aromatic azides, fluorescent probes with high sensitivity and selectivity toward H₂S over other biologically relevant species were designed and synthesized. The probes can be used to in situ to visualize exogenous H₂S and D ‐cysteine‐dependent endogenously produced H₂S in living cells, which makes them promising tools for potential applications in H₂S biology.     

Highly Active Bidirectional Electron Transfer by a Self‐Assembled Electroactive Reduced‐Graphene‐Oxide‐Hybridized Biofilm

Low extracellular electron transfer performance is often a bottleneck in developing high‐performance bioelectrochemical systems. Herein, we show that the self‐assembly of graphene oxide and Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 formed an electroactive, reduced‐graphene‐oxide‐hybridized, three‐dimensional macroporous biofilm, which enabled highly efficient bidirectional electron transfers between Shewanella and electrodes owing to high biomass incorporation and enhanced direct contact‐based extracellular electron transfer. This 3D electroactive biofilm delivered a 25‐fold increase in the outward current (oxidation current, electron flux from bacteria to electrodes) and 74‐fold increase in the inward current (reduction current, electron flux from electrodes to bacteria) over that of the naturally occurring biofilms.