Regulation of Charge Delocalization in a Heteronuclear Fe2Ru System by a Stepwise Photochromic Process

Heteronuclear complexes FeCp₂?DTE?C?C?Ru(dppe)₂Cl ( 1 o ; dppe=1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, Cp=cyclopentadienyl, DTE=dithienylethene) and FeCp₂?DTE?C?C?Ru(dppe)₂?C?C?DTE?FeCp₂ ( 2 oo ), with redox‐active ferrocenyl and ruthenium centers separated by a photochromic DTE moiety, were prepared to achieve photoswitchable charge delocalization and Fe???Ru electronic communication. Upon UV‐light irradiation of 2 oo , the Fe???Ru heterometallic electronic interaction is increasingly facilitated with stepwise photocyclization, 2 oo → 2 co → 2 cc ; this is ascribed to the gradual increase in π‐conjugated systems. The near‐infrared absorptions in mixed‐valence species [ 2 oo ]⁺/[ 2 co ]⁺/[ 2 cc ]⁺ are gradually intensified following the conversion of [ 2 oo ]⁺→[ 2 co ]⁺→[ 2 cc ]⁺, which demonstrates that the extent of charge delocalization shows progressive enhancement with stepwise photocyclization. As revealed by electrochemical, spectroscopic, and theoretical studies, complex 2 exhibits nine switchable states through stepwise photochromic and reversible redox processes.     

Flame-retardant effect of cross-linked phosphazene derivatives and pentaerythritol derivatives on polypropylene

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - A phosphazene-based flame retardant (PBFA) was synthesized by hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and N-aminoethylpiperazine. To improve the flame retardancy...     

Molecular Acceptors Based on a Triarylborane Core Unit for Organic Solar Cells

Triarylboranes that exhibit p–π* conjugation serve as versatile building blocks to design n-type organic/polymer semiconductors. A series of new molecular acceptors based on triarylborane is reported here. These molecules are designed with a boron atom that bears a bulky 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl (Mes*) substituent at the core and strong electron-withdrawing 2-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydroinden-1-ylidene)malononitrile (IC) units as the end-capping groups that are linked to the core by bithiophene bridges. Butyl or butoxy groups are introduced to the bithiophene units to tune the optoelectronic properties. These molecules show nearly planar backbones with highly localized steric hindrance at the core, low LUMO/HOMO energy levels, and broad absorption bands spanning the visible region, which are all very desirable characteristics for use as electron acceptors in organic solar cell (OSC) applications. The attachment of butyl groups to the bithiophene bridges brings about a slightly twisted backbone, which in turn promotes good solubility and homogeneous donor/acceptor blend morphology, whereas the introduction of butoxy groups leads to improved planarity, favorable stacking in the film state, and a greatly reduced band gap. OSC devices based on these molecules exhibit encouraging photovoltaic performances with power conversion efficiencies reaching up to 4.07 %. These results further substantiate the strong potential of triarylboranes as the core unit of small molecule acceptors for OSC applications.     

Electrophilicity Scale of Activated Amides: 17O NMR and 15N NMR Chemical Shifts of Acyclic Twisted Amides in N−C(O) Cross-Coupling

The structure and properties of amides are of tremendous interest in organic synthesis and biochemistry. Traditional amides are planar and the carbonyl group non-electrophilic due to n_N→π*_C=O conjugation. In this study, we report electrophilicity scale by exploiting ¹⁷O NMR and ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts of acyclic twisted and destabilized acyclic amides that have recently received major attention as precursors in N-C(O) cross-coupling by selective oxidative addition as well as precursors in electrophilic activation of N-C(O) bonds. Most crucially, we demonstrate that acyclic twisted amides feature electrophilicity of the carbonyl group that ranges between that of acid anhydrides and acid chlorides. Furthermore, a wide range of electrophilic amides is possible with gradually varying carbonyl electrophilicity by steric and electronic tuning of amide bond properties. Overall, the study quantifies for the first time that steric and electronic destabilization of the amide bond in common acyclic amides renders the amide bond as electrophilic as acid anhydrides and chlorides. These findings should have major implications on the fundamental properties of amide bonds.     

Mechanism and Stereoselectivity of the Elementometalation Process of Activated Alkyne RCCR(RCO2Me) by Cp2TaH3

The elementometalation process is a fundamental chemical step in several catalytic cycles. In this work, density functional theory computations have elucidated the detailed elementometalation mechanism of activated alkyne RCCR(RCO₂Me) by Cp₂TaH₃ and rationalized the selectivity in experimental findings. The calculated results show that in the formation process of (E)-olefin monohydride((E)-Pro), the Gibbs free energy barrier is low and the entire reaction is spontaneous and exothermic; thus, (E)-Pro can be formed easily. The formation of (Z)-η²-olefin monohydride complex ((Z)-Pro) is difficult due to its high Gibbs free energy barrier. The formation process (E)-Pro consists of the following five steps: hydride H1-shift, conformational isomerism 1, hydride H2-shift, conformational isomerism 2, and olefin coordination process. Topological analysis shows that there is a five-membered ring plane structure in the reaction pathway and that the final product (E)-Pro belongs to a typical η²-olefin monohydride complex. Our calculated results provide an explanation for experimental observations and useful insights for further development of olefin functionalization. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

(NH4)Bi2(IO3)2F5: An Unusual Ammonium-Containing Metal Iodate Fluoride Showing Strong Second Harmonic Generation Response and Thermochromic Behavior

An ammonium-containing metal iodate fluoride compound, (NH₄)Bi₂(IO₃)₂F₅, featuring a two-dimensional double-layered framework constructed by [BiO₂F₅]⁶⁻ and [BiO₄F₄]⁹⁻ polyhedra, as well as [IO₃]⁻ groups, was successfully synthesized. The well-ordered alignment of these SHG-active units leads to an extraordinary strong SHG response of 9.2 times that of KDP. Moreover, this compound possesses a large birefringence (Δn=0.0690 at 589.3 nm), a wide energy band gap (E_g=3.88 eV), and a high laser damage threshold (LDT; 40.2×AgGaS₂). In particular, thermochromic behavior was observed for the first time in this type of compound. Such multifunctional crystals will expand the application of nonlinear optical materials.     

可用于连续识别Cu^2+和阴离子、中性分子荧光探针的研究进展

铜(Cu)含量的高低直接影响着生命体的正常运转和自然体系的平衡.检测铜离子的方法多种多样,其中具有较高敏感度和选择性的荧光化学传感器应用更加广泛.综述了以Cu^2+为基的荧光化学传感器通过"替换"法实现了对阴离子S^2-, CN^-, H2PO4^-, PPi和I^-以及中性分子ATP、ADP和生物硫醇等的连续识别的研究进展.