An efficient synthesis of 9-anthrone lactone derivatives via the Knoevenagel condensation and intramolecular cyclization

One-step synthesis of 9-anthrone lactone derivatives from 1-acetyloxyanthraquinone with a variety of dicarbonyl substrates in the presence of K₂CO₃ by Knovenagel condensation and intramolecular cyclization is developed. Possible reaction mechanisms have been investigated using the density functional theory (DFT), which has been widely used in the study of reaction mechanism. The strategy could be useful for the synthesis of the core structure of marine natural product aspergiolide.     

Copper Bis(oxazoline)-Catalyzed Enantioselective Alkynylation of Benzopyrylium Ions

The stereocontrolled construction of biologically relevant chromanones and tetrahydroxanthones has been achieved through the addition of alkynes to benzopyrylium trilfates under the influence of copper bis(oxazoline) catalysis. Excellent levels of enantiocontrol (63–98 % ee) are achieved in the addition of a variety of alkynes to an array of chromenones with a hydrogen in the 2-position. Promising levels of enantiocontrol (54–67 % ee) are achieved in the alkynylation of chromenones with esters in the 2-position, generating tertiary ether stereocenters resembling those frequently found in naturally occurring metabolites.     

First-Principles Investigation of β-FeOOH for Hydrogen Evolution: Identifying Reactive Sites and Boosting Surface Reactions

Akaganeite (β-FeOOH) is a widely investigated candidate for photo(electro)catalysis, such as water splitting. Nevertheless, insights into understanding the surface reaction between water and β-FeOOH, in particular, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), are still insufficient. Herein, a set of first-principles calculations on pristine β-FeOOH and halogen-substituted β-FeOOH are applied to evaluate the HER performance through the computational hydrogen electrode model. The results show that the HER on β-FeOOH tends to occur at Fe sites on the (010) surface, and palladium and nickel are found to serve as excellent co-catalysts to boost the HER process, due to the remarkably reduced free energy change of hydrogen adsorption upon loading on the surface of β-FeOOH, demonstrating great potential for efficient water splitting.     

Ultrathin Mn Doped Ni-MOF Nanosheet Array for Highly Capacitive and Stable Asymmetric Supercapacitor

In this study, we demonstrate that an Mn-doped ultrathin Ni-MOF nanosheet array on nickel foam (Mn_0.1-Ni-MOF/NF) serves as a highly capacitive and stable supercapacitor positive electrode. The Mn_0.1-Ni-MOF/NF shows an areal capacity of 6.48 C cm⁻² (specific capacity C: 1178 C g⁻¹) at 2 mA cm⁻² in 6.0 m KOH, outperforming most reported MOF-based materials. More importantly, it possesses excellent cycle stability to maintain 80.6 % capacity after 5000 cycles. An asymmetric supercapacitor device utilizing Mn_0.1-Ni-MOF/NF as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode attains a high energy density of 39.6 Wh kg⁻¹ at 143.8 Wkg⁻¹ power density with a capacitance retention of 83.6 % after 5000 cycles.     

Syntheses,Characterization, and Luminescence Properties of Three Coordination Complexes with Sulfonate-Phenol Anions and Trivalent Metal Ions

Russian Journal of General Chemistry - A dinuclear Tb complex, Tb2(H2L)3(phen)2 (1), and two similar N-donor coordination complexes, Fe(phen)3·HL (2), Fe(bipy)3·HL·5H2O (3) (Na2H2L =...     

蛋白质-多糖复合体系在活性物质传递中的应用

蛋白质-多糖复合体系作为生物活性物质传递系统的壁材,有着人工合成聚合物或无机物等其他材料不可比拟的多重优势。本文就蛋白质和多糖之间的连接方式及蛋白质-多糖复合体系形成传递系统的多种形式进行了综述,以及对此领域的发展趋势进行了展望。结合蛋白质和多糖的结构特点,二者之间的链接方式分为非共价结合的物理共聚,和共价结合的美拉德偶联、化学交联、酶催化交联等方式,文中分别对各种连接方式的原理和机理,以及其影响因素做了深入阐述。以蛋白质-多糖复合体系为壁材对活性物质的传递形式大体上分成乳化系统、胶束、纳米凝胶、分子复合物以及壳核结构等系统。不同的活性物质的特征和传递需求,可针对性地选择合适结构的蛋白质和多糖种类以及二者的连接方式和传递系统的形式。并且,随着研究的逐步发展和推进,此领域的发展趋势朝着智能化和靶向性的方向进行。目前活性物质的蛋白质-多糖复合体系的传递系统,还依然面临着系统设计、评价和应用等多方面的挑战,这就要求我们在更全面更深入了解认识其对活性物质影响和功效的基础上,安全合理地设计和深入细致地评价活性成分的传递系统。     

Chitosan hydrogel,as a biological macromolecule-based drug delivery system for exosomes and microvesicles in regenerative medicine: a mini review

Cellulose - Extracellular vesicles are membrane-packed entities that are involved in various physiological and pathological processes. Recently, the role of exosomes and microvesicles in...     

Three-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks: From Synthesis to Applications

Three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D COFs) with spatially periodic networks demonstrate significant advantages over their 2D counterparts, including enhanced specific surface areas, interconnected channels, and more sufficiently exposed active sites. Nevertheless, research on these materials has met an impasse due to serious problems in crystallization and stability, which must be solved for practical applications. In this Minireview, we first summarize some strategies for preparing functional 3D COFs, including crystallization techniques and functionalization methods. Hereafter, applications of these functional materials are presented, covering adsorption, separation, catalysis, fluorescence, sensing, and batteries. Finally, the future challenges and perspectives for the development of 3D COFs are discussed.     

Lewis酸催化纤维素制乳酸机理研究

Because fossil fuels are continuously depleted, valorization of biomass into valuable liquid products and chemicals is of great significance yet it remains challenging. Among many biomass-derived products, lactic acid is one of the most important renewable monomers for preparing the degradable polymer polylactic acid. The use of raw biomass to produce lactic acid through catalytic conversion is an attractive approach. In this work, the catalytic reaction performance and mechanism of different Lewis acids (Y³⁺, Sc³⁺, and Al³⁺) for the production of lactic acid from cellulose were investigated in detail by isotopic nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry. The production of lactic acid from cellulose includes tandem and competing reactions. The order of catalytic activity for the one-pot conversion of cellulose into lactic acid is as follows: Y³⁺ > Al³⁺ > Sc³⁺. The main tandem reactions involve the hydrolysis of cellulose into glucose, the isomerization of glucose into fructose (the order of catalytic activity, the same below: Y³⁺ > Al³⁺, Y³⁺ > Sc³⁺), the cleavage of fructose via a retro-aldol reaction to glyceraldehyde (GLY) and 1, 3-dihydroxyacetone (DHA) (Sc³⁺ > Y³⁺ > Al³⁺), and the conversion of DHA or GLY to the final product lactic acid (Al³⁺ > Y³⁺ > Sc³⁺). It was found that the process of glucose isomerization to fructose was the key step to the final selectivity of the tandem reaction of cellulose conversion to lactic acid, and it was clarified that the production of lactic acid from DHA underwent a keto-enol (K-E) tautomerization process rather than a classical 1, 2-shift process. First, DHA was transformed into GLY via the isomerization process, then the adjacent hydroxyl group of GLY was removed in the form of water to produce an α, β-unsaturated species. After that, the α, β-unsaturated species underwent K-E tautomerization to generate unsaturated aldehyde-ketone intermediates. Meanwhile, a molecule of water was added to aldehyde-ketone intermediates to obtain a diol product, the hydrogen atom at the methine position was transferred and the lactic acid was finally obtained through the K-E tautomerization process. The in-depth understanding of the reaction mechanism presented in this work will help to design more selective catalysts for cellulose conversion into value-added oxygen-containing small molecule chemicals.      

Pulsed Electrocatalysis Enabling High Overall Nitrogen Fixation Performance for Atomically Dispersed Fe on TiO2

Atomically dispersed Fe was designed on TiO₂ and explored as a Janus electrocatalyst for both nitrogen oxidation reaction (NOR) and nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) in a two-electrode system. Pulsed electrochemical catalysis (PE) was firstly involved to inhibit the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Excitingly, an unanticipated yield of 7055.81 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹_cat. and 12 868.33 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹_cat. were obtained for NOR and NRR at 3.5 V, respectively, 44.94 times and 7.8 times increase in FE than the conventional constant voltage electrocatalytic method. Experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the single-atom Fe could stabilize the oxygen vacancy, lower the energy barrier for the vital rupture of N≡N, and result in enhanced N₂ fixation performance. More importantly, PE could effectively enhance the N₂ supply by reducing competitive O₂ and H₂ agglomeration, inhibit the electrocatalytic by-product formation for longstanding *OOH and *H intermediates, and promote the non-electrocatalytic process of N₂ activation.