On the conjugation length for oligo(ethynylnaphthalene)-based molecular rods

The synthesis is described for a small series of oligomers built from (2, 3, 4 or 6) ethynyl-naphthalene repeat units and end-capped with solubilising 1,2,3-tris-dodecyloxy-benzene groups. These compounds absorb in the near-UV region and exhibit strong fluorescence in both fluid solution and a glassy matrix at 77 K. The spectral profiles are fully consistent with a structurally heterogeneous ground state becoming more planar upon excitation and with the low-temperature glass further stabilising the co-planar orientation. The absorption and fluorescence maxima move towards lower energy with increasing number of repeat units and there is a corresponding increase in the Huang-Rhys factor for the radiative process. The non-radiative rate constants also depend on molecular length and are well explained in terms of the energy-gap law. In contrast, very weak phosphorescence is observed at 77 K for which the peak maximum and lifetime remain insensitive to the number of naphthalene units. The triplet lifetimes recorded at ambient temperature are also independent of the molecular length but the triplet-triplet absorption spectra change throughout the series. These results are discussed in terms of the degree of electronic coupling between adjacent repeat units for each of the relevant excited states. During these studies it was noted that the rate of intersystem crossing to the triplet manifold is but weakly affected by heavy-atom perturbers. A non-fluorescent complex is formed between iodoethane and the molecular rod but the corresponding bimolecular process occurs at well below the diffusion-controlled limit. This behaviour is considered in terms of spin-orbit coupling between the excited states and takes account of the differing conjugation lengths.     

Synthesis of Thiophene‐annulated Naphthalene Diimide‐based Small‐Molecular Acceptors via Two‐step C−H Activation

Thiophene‐annulated naphthalene diimide (NTI)‐based molecules have recently emerged as an important class of n‐type electronic materials. However, their synthesis has predominantly been achieved by Stille or Suzuki coupling reactions despite the presence of a potential C?H bond in NTI. Additionally, the synthesis of NTI or more generally mono‐functionalization of naphthalene diimide (NDI) starts with a cumbersome bromination that results in a low yield, is unselective, and requires tedious purification. We herein thus address these issues via a two‐step C?H activation: a rhodium‐catalyzed direct C?H iodinization is first presented for NDI, followed by establishing an efficient direct arylation protocol for NTI with high yield and robustness. Coupling of up to four NTI units on a benzene or pyrene core is demonstrated along with other aryl bromide substrates. All the herein reported NTI‐based small molecules showed n‐type semiconductor behavior under air.     

Ni/Ce-ZrO2/γ-Al2O3催化剂上高温焦炉煤气中焦油组分的常压加氢裂解

采用分步浸渍法制备了Ni/Ce-ZrO2/γ-Al2O3催化剂,并采用X射线衍射、透射电子显微镜、N2物理吸附和程序升温还原等方法对其进行了表征.该催化剂在以甲苯和萘为焦油模拟化合物的高温焦炉煤气常压加氢裂解反应中表现出良好的催化性能和一定的耐硫能力.在较低的水/碳摩尔比(S/C=0.44)条件下,甲苯和萘能够完全转化为小分子气体.向Ni/γ-Al2O3催化剂中加入适量的铈锆氧化物,能促使催化剂表面形成尺寸更小的镍纳米晶粒,并有效地抑制镍晶粒烧结,从而显著提高催化剂的稳定性.该类催化剂有望应用于具有较低水/碳摩尔比的高温焦炉煤气中焦油的直接除去.     

Syntheses and crystal structures of binuclear ruthenium complexes bearing 1,8′-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)naphthalene

Treatment of [RuCl₂(η⁶-C₆H₆)]_x with bidentate phosphine ligand BDNA [1,8-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)naphthalene] in methanol at room temperature gave η⁶-benzene-ruthenium complexes Ru₂Cl₄(η⁶-C₆H₆)₂(μ-BDNA) (1). Complex 1 further reacted with AgBF₄ to form complex [Ru₂Cl₂(μ-Cl)(η⁶-C₆H₆)₂(μ-BDNA)](BF₄) (2). [RuCl₂(η⁶-C₆H₆)]_x reacted with BDNA in refluxing methanol and then the reaction solution was treated with AgBF₄ to generate complex [Ru₂Cl₂(η⁶-C₆H₆)₂(μ-BDNA)₂](BF₄)₂ (3). Their compositions and structures had been determined by elemental analyses, NMR spectra and single crystal X-ray diffractions. X-ray diffraction showed that complex 1 belonged to monoclinic crystal system, P2₁/c space group with Z = 4, a = 12.810 Å, b = 21.507 Å, c = 18.471 Å, β = 107.95°; complex 2 belonged monoclinic crystal system, P2₁/n space group with Z = 4, a = 14.498 Å, b = 15.644 Å, c = 20.788 Å, β = 103.404°, and complex 3 belonged to monoclinic crystal system, P2₁/n space group with Z = 2, a = 13.732 Å, b = 14.351 Å, c = 19.733 Å, β = 94.82°.     

Biostimulation-enhanced Biodegradation of Nitrobenzene in Contaminated Groundwater

In this study, biostimulation technology was used for bioremediation of nitrobenzene-contaminated groundwater by adding a mixture of lactose and phosphate, peptone, and beef extract. During the process of biostimulation, the remediation effectiveness, microbial dehydrogenase activities and microbial densities were investigated; the varieties of microbial community structure and composition were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(PCR-DGGE) technique and the relative abundances of nitrobenzene-degrading gene(nbzA) were determined by fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR(RT-PCR). Findings show that the removal rate of nitrobenzene in groundwater could reach about 60% by biostimulation with lactose and phosphate, 70% with peptone and 68% with beef extract. The microbial dehydrogenase activities and microbial densities were all improved obviously via biostimulation. The results of PCR-DGGE show that the microbial diversities were improved, and more than ten kinds of dominant microorganisms were detected after biostimulation. RT-PCR results show that the relative abundances of nbzA gene of microbes in groundwater were increased significantly, which indicated that biostimulation actually enhanced the growth of nitrobenzene-degrading bacteria. Therefore, biostimulation is a cost-effective and feasible bioremediation technique for nitrobenzene-contaminated groundwater.     

Using a 1,8-diamino naphthalene–copper (II) system as a turn-on fluorescence probe for detecting Sudan I

An easy-to-use fluorescence probe for detecting Sudan I was developed. The probe detects Sudan I because Sudan I and 1,8-diamino naphthalene competitively interact with copper (II). Copper (II) effectively quenches the fluorescence of 1,8-diamino naphthalene because the 1,8-diamino naphthalene interacts with copper (II) and forms a 1,8-diamino naphthalene–copper (II) complex. Adding Sudan I causes the fluorescence of the system to be recovered because the Sudan I removes copper (II) from the 1,8-diamino naphthalene–copper (II) complex, liberating the 1,8-diamino naphthalene. The displacement of 1,8-diamino naphthalene by Sudan I gives a high fluorescence recovery efficiency. Under optimal conditions, the fluorescence intensity F achieved when Sudan I was added had a good linear relationship (R²?=?0.999) with the Sudan I concentration over the range 0–4.6?µM. The Sudan I detection limit was 0.032?µM. The method offers a new way of quantitatively determining Sudan I.     

Degradation of nitrobenzene in aqueous solution by dual-pulse ultrasound enhanced electrochemical process

The present work reports a novel dual-pulse ultrasound enhanced electrochemical degradation (US-ECD) process that synchronizes alternatively ultrasound pulses and potential pulses to degrade nitrobenzene in aqueous solution with a high percentage degradation and low energy consumption. In comparison to the test results generated from the conventional US-ECD and original electrochemical degradation (ECD) process, the dual-pulse US-ECD process increased degradation percentages to nitrobenzene by 2% and 17%, respectively, while energy used in the pulse process was only about 46.5% of that was used in the conventional US-ECD process. Test results demonstrated a superior performance of the dual-pulse US-ECD process over those of other conventional ones. Impacts of pulse mode, initial pH value, cell voltage, supporting electrolyte concentration and ultrasonic power on the process performances were investigated. With operation conditions optimized in the study at pH = 3.0, cell voltage = 10 V, ultrasonic power = 48.84 W, electrolyte concentration = 0.1 M and an experiment running time of 30 min, the percentage degradation of nitrobenzene could reach 80% (US pulse time = 50 ms and ECD pulse time = 50 ms). This process provided a reliable and effective technical approach to degrade nitrobenzene in aqueous solution and significantly reduced energy consumption in comparison to the conventional US-ECD or original ECD treatment.     

A comprehensive analysis of electronic transitions in naphthalene and perylene diimide derivatives through computational methods

Perylene diimide (PDI) and naphthalene diimides (NDIs) are compounds widely used in supramolecular structures due to their versatile and functional properties. They have high absorptions and photoluminescence capabilities, which make them ideal for electronic transition studies. Reflux method, a widely employed synthetic technique, was utilized to synthesize NDI and PDI derivatives. In this method, the respective amino acids and NTDA (naphthalene-1,4,5,8-tetracarboxylic dianhydride) were combined in acetic acid and the resulting mixture was subjected to reflux. This study centered on a diverse set of NDI and PDI ligands, comprising L-ala-NDI, B-ala-NDI, Gly-NDI, Imi-NDI, Pyr-NDI, L-ala-PDI, B-ala-PDI, Gly-PDI, Imi-PDI, and Pyr-PDI ligands. Crystal structures were obtained for three NDI ligands, while the characterization of all ligands involved several analytical techniques such as NMR, IR, UV, DFT, TD-DFT calculations, and single-crystal x-ray crystallography specifically for the NDI ligands. The investigation focused on studying the electron acceptor/donor behavior of the NDI and PDI ligands, identifying their potential for charge transfer applications. Furthermore, the NLO (nonlinear optical) response of all 10 NDI and PDI ligands was assessed through an analysis involving HOMO-LUMO, TDM, EDDM, NCI, Iso-surface, MEP, natural population, and DOS analysis. This evaluation encompassed the examination of linear polarizability, as well as first and second hyperpolarizability in the context of NLO. The findings of the study revealed that Gly-PDI, Imi-PDI, L-ala-PDI, and B-ala-PDI ligands displayed a higher NLO response compared with the other ligands. These results highlight the potential of these ligands for nonlinear optical applications. The comprehensive characterization and assessment of the NDI and PDI ligands contribute to a deeper understanding of their electron properties, positioning them as promising candidates for charge transfer and nonlinear optical materials.     

薄层循环伏安法研究硝基苯/水界面上离子诱导的电子转移反应

应用薄层循环伏安法研究了硝基苯/水两相界面间,且有共同离子四丁基铵TBA+存在于两相中,在有机相中的四氰化二甲基苯醌(TCNQ)与水相中的K4Fe(CN)6之间发生的反向电子转移反应。在直径为0.64cm的裂解石墨电极上用2μL硝基苯溶液使之自然扩散在电极表面形成薄层的有机相,并以此作为工作电极。对电极为铂丝(0.5mm),参比电极为Ag/AgCl电极,均置于总体积为2mL的水相中。由于共同离子TBA+的诱导,在硝基苯/水界面间,在已氧化的TCNQ+阳离子(在有机相中)与[Fe(CN)6]4-阴离子(在水相中)之间发生了反向电子转移反应。试验证明:在一定条件下,通过改变两相中共同离子的浓度,可使一些不能发生的两相界面的电子转移反应得以发生;这类电子转移反应系受界面电位差所控制。此外,还测得了在恒定的共同离子浓度比值的条件下,此两相界面电子转移反应的表观速率常数(k)为0.135cm.s-1.mol-1。     

Enhanced Quality Control of Recycled Paperboard for Food Packaging

A method is reported for the industrial quality control of recycled paperboard for food contact applications. Benzophenones, phthalates, and diisopropyl naphthalene were selected as contamination markers. These compounds are commonly found in recycled paperboard packaging and are known to migrate even into dry nonfatty foods. The method was used to analyze commercial recycled board and involved sample pretreatment by accelerated solvent extraction, evaporation, and purification of the extract, and analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The accelerated solvent extraction yields were compared with those obtained by Soxhlet extraction and extraction by immersion, and the recoveries of optimized procedures were estimated. The optimized method showed good repeatability, intermediate precision, and sensitivity. Because of the simplicity and partial automation, this method has potential application for the characterization of recycled paperboard.