A Shell-by-Shell Approach for Synthesis of Mesoporous Multi-Shelled Hollow MOFs for Catalytic Applications

Over the past two decades, advanced materials with hollow interiors have received significant attention in materials research owing to their great application potential across a vast number of technological fields. Though with great difficulty, multi-shelled hollow metal–organic frameworks (MSHMs) have also been successfully synthesized in recent years. Herein, a rational shell-by-shell soft-templating protocol has been devised to fabricate highly uniform multi-shelled hollow cobalt-imidazole-based MOF (ZIF-67). For the first time, it has become possible to endow mesoporosity to this new type of functional material (i.e., mesoporous MOFs). When used as carrier materials in catalytic reactions, in principle, these mesoporous MSHMs with high surface area not only improve the dispersity of metal nanoparticles (NPs), but also efficiently facilitate the mass diffusion of the reactions, resulting in enhanced catalyst activity. Moreover, the obtained MSHMs/M nanocomposites serve as base-metal bifunctional catalysts for one-pot oxidation-Knoevenagel condensation cascade reaction, in which the MSHMs itself serves as a pristine active catalyst in addition to its role of catalyst support. The results demonstrate that excellent multifunctional catalysts can be achieved via preparing intrinsically microporous bulk MOFs into extrinsically mesoporous MSHMs which possess many structural merits that conventional bulk MOFs do not have.     

增材制造金属反射镜的发展综述

随着光学测量与遥感领域的不断发展,折反式光学系统对重量、体积和环境适应性等需求不断提高。基于增材制造技术的金属反射镜以其便于实现优化设计、快速制造和加工工艺性好等优点,逐渐获得国内外学者的关注与研究。与传统金属反射镜相比,增材制造金属反射镜可以提高反射镜的结构刚度,同时可实现更高程度的轻量化。增材制造反射镜可以满足光学系统对环境适应性和快速性的需求。本文首先讨论了金属反射镜的评价指标;其次,综述了国内外在基于增材制造技术制备金属反射镜领域的发展现状和技术参数,从增材制造金属反射镜的基体设计与制备和基体的后处理2个方面展开论述;然后,通过分析,总结了增材制造金属反射镜的技术路线和关键技术;最后,对增材制造反射镜的应用前景提出了展望。     

Simple and Precise Quantification of Iron Catalyst Content in Carbon Nanotubes Using UV/Visible Spectroscopy

Iron catalysts have been used widely for the mass production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with high yield. In this study, UV/visible spectroscopy was used to determine the Fe catalyst content in CNTs using a colorimetric technique. Fe ions in solution form red–orange complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline, producing an absorption peak at λ=510 nm, the intensity of which is proportional to the solution Fe concentration. A series of standard Fe solutions were formulated to establish the relationship between optical absorbance and Fe concentration. Many Fe catalysts were microscopically observed to be encased by graphitic layers, thus preventing their extraction. Fe catalyst dissolution from CNTs was investigated with various single and mixed acids, and Fe concentration was found to be highest with CNTs being held at reflux in HClO₄/HNO₃ and H₂SO₄/HNO₃ mixtures. This novel colorimetric method to measure Fe concentrations by UV/Vis spectroscopy was validated by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, indicating its reliability and applicability to asses Fe content in CNTs.     

Pd‐initiated polymerization of diazo compounds bearing dialkoxyphosphinyl group and hydrolysis of the resulting polymers and oligomers to afford phosphonic acid‐containing products

Pd‐initiated polymerization and oligomerization of diazo compounds containing a dialkoxyphosphinyl group are described. Polymerization of 2‐dialkoxyphosphinylethyl diazoacetates with π‐allylPdCl‐based initiating systems afforded C? C main chain polymers bearing phosphonate on each main chain carbon atom. The quantitative transformation of the side chain phosphonate to phosphonic acid resulted in the formation of water soluble polymers having the acid groups accumulated around their main chains, although the carbonyl ester linkage in the side chain was cleaved via intramolecular acid‐assisted hydrolysis in water at 80 °C. Pd‐initiated oligomerization of diethyl diazomethylphosphonate yielded an oligomeric product bearing diethoxyphosphiny groups directly attached to its main chain carbons, with unexpected incorporation of azo group in the main chain framework. Hydrolysis of the phosphonate of the oligomer afforded a water‐soluble product, which was revealed to show higher proton conductivity than poly(vinylphosphonic acid) under certain conditions. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1742–1751     

Low-molecular weight hyaluronidase from the venom of Bungarus caeruleus (Indian common krait) snake: Isolation and partial characterization

Snake venom hyaluronidases known as “spreading factor” are not extensively studied. Recently, it is argued that beyond its role as a spreading factor, venom hyaluronidase (HYL) deserves to be explored as a possible therapeutic target for inhibiting the systemic distribution of venom/toxins and also for minimizing local tissue destruction. In this context, in the present study, a low-molecular weight HYL has been isolated from Bungarus caeruleus (Indian krait) venom by single step chromatography on HPLC system. The apparent molecular weight determined by SDS-PAGE is 14 ± 2 kDa, as confirmed by zymogen study and LC–MS as well. The enzyme had optimal pH 6 and temperature 37°C. The Michaelis–Menten constant (K_m) was found to be 8.48 µg/mL at 37°C. The activity of purified enzyme was completely inhibited by Ba²⁺ metal ion and N-acetyl imidazole group-specific agents. This work yielded a highly active HYL from B. caeruleus the first one to be isolated. Further studies on its pharmacological actions will be interesting to develop lead molecules for better management of snakebite.     

The First One‐Pot Synthesis of Metal–Organic Frameworks Functionalised with Two Transition‐Metal Complexes

The synthesis of a metal–organic framework (UiO‐67) functionalised simultaneously with two different transition metal complexes (Ir and Pd or Rh) through a one‐pot procedure is reported for the first time. This has been achieved by an iterative modification of the synthesis parameters combined with characterisation of the resulting materials using different techniques, including X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The method also allows the first synthesis of UiO‐67 with a very wide range of loadings (from 4 to 43 mol %) of an iridium complex ([IrCp*(bpydc)(Cl)Cl]^2?; bpydc=2,2′‐bipyridine‐5,5′‐dicarboxylate, Cp*=pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) through a pre‐functionalisation methodology.     

Selectivity Effects in Bimetallic Catalysis

An emerging area of homogeneous catalysis is the use of catalysts featuring two closely associated metal sites. This approach complements the traditional focus on single‐site catalysts and makes available new parameters with which to optimize catalytic behavior. Single‐site catalysts are optimized through changing 1) the identity of the metal, and 2) the steric and electronic properties of the ligands. Bimetallic catalysts introduce new optimization parameters such as 3) catalyst nuclearity (mononuclear vs. binuclear), and 4) bimetallic pairing (relative compatibility of two metal sites). In order to harness these new optimization parameters in developing systems, it is necessary to first understand the origin of bimetallic selectivity effects that already have been documented. This Concept article highlights bimetallic effects on the chemo‐, regio‐, and stereoselectivity of catalytic transformations, using selected case studies from the recent literature as illustrative examples.     

Breaking and Making of Carbon–Carbon Bonds by Lanthanides and Third‐Row Transition Metals

Carbon‐atom extrusion from the ipso‐position of a halobenzene ring (C₆H₅X; X=F, Cl, Br, I) and its coupling with a methylene ligand to produce acetylene is not confined to [LaCH₂]⁺; also, the third‐row transition‐metal complexes [MCH₂]⁺, M=Hf, Ta, W, Re, and Os, bring about this unusual transformation. However, substrates with substituents X=CN, NO₂, OCH₃, and CF₃ are either not reactive at all or give rise to different products when reacted with [LaCH₂]⁺. In the thermal gas‐phase processes of atomic Ln⁺ with C₇H₇Cl substrates, only those lanthanides with a promotion energy small enough to attain a 4fⁿ5d¹6s¹ configuration are reactive and form both [LnCl]⁺ and [LnC₅H₅Cl]⁺. Branching ratios and the reaction efficiencies of the various processes seem to correlate with molecular properties, like the bond‐dissociation energies of the C?X or M⁺?X bonds or the promotion energies of lanthanides.     

Octahedral Chiral‐at‐Metal Iridium Catalysts: Versatile Chiral Lewis Acids for Asymmetric Conjugate Additions

Octahedral iridium(III) complexes containing two bidentate cyclometalating 5‐tert‐butyl‐2‐phenylbenzoxazole ( IrO ) or 5‐tert‐butyl‐2‐phenylbenzothiazole ( IrS ) ligands in addition to two labile acetonitrile ligands are demonstrated to constitute a highly versatile class of asymmetric Lewis acid catalysts. These complexes feature the metal center as the exclusive source of chirality and serve as effective asymmetric catalysts (0.5–5.0 mol % catalyst loading) for a variety of reactions with α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds, namely Friedel–Crafts alkylations (94–99 % ee), Michael additions with CH‐acidic compounds (81–97 % ee), and a variety of cycloadditions (92–99 % ee with high d.r.). Mechanistic investigations and crystal structures of an iridium‐coordinated substrates and iridium‐coordinated products are consistent with a mechanistic picture in which the α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds are activated by two‐point binding (bidentate coordination) to the chiral Lewis acid.