DMAO-activated Rare-earth Metal Catalysts for Styrene and Its Derivative Polymerization

The catalytic performance of rare-earth metal dialkyl complexes in combination with DMAO(dry methylaluminoxane)is explored.In the presence of 60 equivalents of DMAO,the half-sandwich complex(C13H8CH2Ph)Sc(CH2SiMe3)2(THF)(1)is inert for styrene polymerization,but(C5Me4Ph)Sc(CH2C6H4NMe2-o)2(2)converts 18％styrene into syndiotactic polystyrene.Under the same conditions,the constrained-geometry configuration sandium complex(C13H8CH2Py)Sc(CH2SiMe3)2(3a)displays extremely high catalytic activity(＞6420 kg·molSC-1·h-1)and perfect syndiospecific(rrrr＞99％)for styrene polymerization,while its lutetium(3b)and yttrium(3c)analogues are nearly inactive.Although the binary catalytic system 3a/DMAO exhibits very low activity for 4-methoxystyrene polymerization,it is an efficient catalyst for the syndioselective polymerization of other styrene derivatives such as 2-methoxystyrene,4-methylthiostyrene,4-fluorostyrene,4-dimethylhydrosilylstyrene,alkyne-susbstituted styrenes and 4-methylstyrene.In addition,the binary system 3a/DMAO can copolymerize ethylene and styrene to give alternating copolymers with a single glass transition at 80℃and 0.4 MPa ethylene pressures.By increasing styrene feed amount from 20 mmol to 60 mmol,the styrene content slight increases from 48.2 mol％to 53.8 mol％,but the polymerization activity is obviously promoted from 240 kg·molSc-1·h-1 to 532 kg·molSc-1·h-1.     

Syntheses,crystal structures and magnetic properties of two new cyano-bridged bimetallic complexes

Transition Metal Chemistry - Two complexes [Fe(1,10-phen)2Ni(CN)4]n (1), {[Fe2(1,10-phen)4(CN)4Co2(1,10-phen)2Fe(CN)6]·2H2O}n (2) were prepared in the reaction of K3[Fe(CN)6] as cyanometalate...     

CompassR Yields Highly Organic-Solvent-Tolerant Enzymes through Recombination of Compatible Substitutions

The CompassR (computer-assisted recombination) rule enables, among beneficial substitutions, the identification of those that can be recombined in directed evolution. Herein, a recombination strategy is systematically investigated to minimize experimental efforts and maximize possible improvements. In total, 15 beneficial substitutions from Bacillus subtilis lipase A (BSLA), which improves resistance to the organic cosolvent 1,4-dioxane (DOX), were studied to compare two recombination strategies, the two-gene recombination process (2GenReP) and the in silico guided recombination process (InSiReP), employing CompassR. Remarkably, both strategies yielded a highly DOX-resistant variant, M4 (I12R/Y49R/E65H/N98R/K122E/L124K), with up to 14.6-fold improvement after screening of about 270 clones. M4 has a remarkably enhanced resistance in 60 % (v/v) acetone (6.0-fold), 30 % (v/v) ethanol (2.1-fold), and 60 % (v/v) methanol (2.4-fold) compared with wild-type BSLA. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that attracting water molecules by charged surface substitutions is the main driver for increasing the DOX resistance of BSLA M4. Both strategies and obtained molecular knowledge can likely be used to improve the properties of other enzymes with a similar α/β-hydrolase fold.     

Metal-facilitated Photocatalytic Nanohybrids: Rational Design and Promising Environmental Applications

As a promising technique to potentially address the energy crisis and environmental issues, photocatalysis has been reported widely to exhibit various outstanding behaviors in production of new fuels/chemicals and treatment of contaminants. The photocatalytic performance is extremely dependent on the used photocatalysts, so that the design and preparation of efficient photocatalysts are critically important for significantly improving the photocatalytic activity. Among various strategies, the hybridization of metal with semiconductors has recently been attracting more and more research interest owing to their expended spectral absorption, promoted transferring rate of charge carriers and Plasmon-enhanced effect. In this minireview, the metal-facilitated hybrid photocatalysts are overviewed comprehensively to first reveal unique functions of metals in improvement of photoactivity and summarize the emerging metal-involved hybrid systems. Subsequently, the synthetic methods towards hybrid photocatalysts are introduced and their practical applications are emphasized in environmental remediation including degradation of organic pollutants, conversion of harmful gases, treatment of heavy metal ions and sterilization of bacteria. At the end, the challenges for industrializing these hybrid photocatalysts are discussed carefully and future development is suggested rationally.     

Polymer Electrolytes – New Opportunities for the Development of Multivalent Ion Batteries

Batteries, as highly concerned energy conversion system, have a great development prospect in various fields, especially in the field of energy powered vehicles. Multivalent ion batteries are getting more attention due to their low cost, high abundance in earth crust, high capacity and safety compared with Lithium batteries. Despite above advantages, several problems still need to be solved before multivalent ion batteries achieve large-scale application, such as interfacial parasitic reaction, anode passivation, and dendrites. The replacement of liquid electrolytes with gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) which pose high safety, high mechanical strength and simplified battery system, is an effective strategy to inhibit dendrite growth and improve electrochemical performance. This review mainly discusses the advantages and challenges of multivalent ion batteries including zinc, magnesium, calcium and aluminum batteries. Meanwhile, the major targets of this review are introducing the recent developments and making a summary of the future trends of GPEs in the multivalent ion batteries.     

The Total Solubility of the Co-Solubilized PAHs with Similar Structures Indicated by NMR Chemical Shift

The synergism/inhibition level, solubilization sites and the total solubility (S_t) of co-solubilization systems of phenanthrene, anthracene and pyrene in Tween 80 and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) are studied by ¹H-NMR, 2D nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) and rotating frame overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY). In Tween 80, inhibition for phenanthrene, anthracene and pyrene is observed in most binary and ternary systems. However, in SDS, synergism is predominant. After analysis, we find that the different synergism or inhibition situation between Tween 80 and SDS is related to the different types of surfactants used and the resulting different co-solubilization mechanisms. In addition, we also find that three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have similar solubilization sites in both Tween 80 and SDS, which are almost unchanged in co-solubilization systems. Due to the similar solubilization sites, the chemical shift changes of surfactant and PAH protons follow the same pattern in all solubilization systems, and the order of chemical shift changes is consistent with the order of changes in the St of PAHs. In this case, it is feasible to evaluate S_t of PAHs by chemical shift. In both Tween 80 and SDS solutions, the ternary solubilization system has relatively high S_t rankings. Therefore, in practical applications, a good overall solubilization effect can be expected.     

Activity Guided Isolation of Phenolic Compositions from Anneslea fragrans Wall. and Their Cytoprotective Effect against Hydrogen Peroxide Induced Oxidative Stress in HepG2 Cells

Anneslea fragrans Wall., commonly known as “Pangpo Tea”, is traditionally used as a folk medicine and healthy tea for the treatment of liver and intestine diseases. The aim of this study was to purify the antioxidative and cytoprotective polyphenols from A. fragrans leaves. After fractionation with polar and nonpolar organic solvents, the fractions of aqueous ethanol extract were evaluated for their total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid contents (TFC) and antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays). The n-butanol fraction (BF) showed the highest TPC and TFC with the strongest antioxidant activity. The bio-guided chromatography of BF led to the purification of six flavonoids (1–6) and one benzoquinolethanoid (7). The structures of these compounds were determined by NMR and MS techniques. Compound 6 had the strongest antioxidant capacity, which was followed by 5 and 2. The protective effect of the isolated compounds on hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells revealed that the compounds 5 and 6 exhibited better protective effects by inhibiting ROS productions, having no significant difference with vitamin C (p > 0.05), whereas 6 showed the best anti-apoptosis activity. The results suggest that A. fragrans could serve as a valuable antioxidant phytochemical source for developing functional food and health nutraceutical products.     

Linear Group 13 E≡E Triple Bonds in E2Li62+

The triply bonded heavier main-group compounds have a textbook trans-bent geometry, in contrast to a familiar linear form found for the lightest analogues. Strikingly, the unexpected linear group 13 E≡E triple bonds were herein found in the D_4h-symmetry E₂Li₆²⁺ clusters, and they possess a large barrier (>18.0 kcal/mol) towards the dissociation of Li⁺. The perfectly surrounded Li₄ motifs and two linear coordinated Li atoms strongly suppress the increasing nonbonded electron density of heavier E atoms, making two degenerate π bonds and one multi-center σ bond in linear heavier main-group triple bonds. The surrounding Li₆ motifs not only creates an effective electronic structure to form a linear E≡E triple bond, but the resulting electrostatic interactions account for the highly stable global E₂Li₆²⁺ clusters.     

Comprehensive characterization of natural organic matter by MALDI- and ESI-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Natural organic matter (NOM) is a complex and non-uniform mixture of organic compounds which plays an important role in environmental processes. Due to the complexity, it is challenging to obtain fully detailed structural information about NOM. Although Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) has been demonstrated to be a powerful tool for providing molecular information about NOM, multiple ionization methods are needed for comprehensive characterization of NOM at the molecular level considering the ionizing selectivity of different ionization methods. This paper reports the first use of matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) method coupled with FT-ICR-MS for molecular characterization of NOM within a mass range of 200–800 Da. The mass spectral data obtained by MALDI were systematically compared with data generated by electrospray ionization (ESI). It showed that complementary molecular information about NOM which could not be detected by ESI, were provided by MALDI. More unsaturated and aromatic constituents of NOM with lower O/C ratio (O/C ratio < 0.5) were preferentially ionized in MALDI negative mode, whereas more polar constituents of NOM with higher O/C ratio were preferentially ionized in ESI negative mode. Molecular anions of NOM appearing at even m/z in MALDI negative ion mode were detected. The results show that NOM molecules with aromatic structures, moderate O/C ratio (0.7 > O/C ratio > 0.25) and lower H/C ratio were liable to form molecular anions at even m/z, whereas those with higher H/C ratio are more likely to form deprotonated ions at odd m/z. It is speculated that almost half of the NOM molecules identified by MALDI may be aromatic or condensed aromatic compounds with special groups which are liable to absorb electron from other molecules to generate free radical anions during MALDI ionization.     

New Cu(I) Coordination Complexes Based on Tetrathiafulvalene Substituted Triazol‐pyridine Ligand: Synthesis,Properties and Theoretical Studies

Two Cu(I) complexes based on the thioethyl‐bridged triazol‐pyridine ligand with tetrathiafulvalene unit (TTF‐TzPy, L ), [Cu(I)(Binap)(L)]BF₄ ( 5 , Binap=2,2’‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐1,1’‐binaphthyl) and [Cu(I)(Xantphos)(L)]BF₄ ( 6 , Xantphos=9,9‐dimethyl‐4,5‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐xanthene), have been synthesized. All new compounds are characterized by elemental analyses, ¹H NMR and mass spectroscopies. The complex 5 has been determined by X‐ray structure analyses which shows that the central copper (I) ion assumes distorted tetrahedral geometry. The photophysical, computational and electrochemical properties of L and 5 ‐ 6 have been investigated. The most representative molecular orbital energy‐level diagrams and the spin‐allowed singlet? singlet electronic transitions of the three compounds have been calculated with density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT (TD‐DFT). The luminescence bands of Cu(I) complexes 5 ‐ 6 have been assigned as mixed intraligand and metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer ³(MLCT+π→π^*) transitions through analysis of the photophysical properties and DFT calculations. The electrochemical studies reveal that 5 ‐ 6 undergo reversible TTF/TTF^+?/TTF²⁺ redox processes and one irreversible Cu⁺→Cu²⁺ oxidation process.