Thermal Conversion of Methane to Formaldehyde Promoted by Gold in AuNbO3+ Cluster Cations

In addition to generation of a methyl radical, formation of a formaldehyde molecule was observed in the thermal reaction of methane with AuNbO₃⁺ heteronuclear oxide cluster cations. The clusters were prepared by laser ablation and mass‐selected to react with CH₄ in an ion‐trap reactor under thermal collision conditions. The reaction was studied by mass spectrometry and DFT calculations. The latter indicated that the gold atom promotes formaldehyde formation through transformation of an Au?O bond into an Au?Nb bond during the reaction.     

The Forgotten Pyrazines: Exploring the Dakin–West Reaction

Pyrazines are an underreported class of N-heterocycles available from nitrogen-rich biomass presenting an interesting functional alternative for current aromatics. In this work, access to pyrazines obtained from amino acids by using the 90 year old Dakin–West reaction was explored. After a qualitative screening several functional proteinogenic amino acids proved good substrates for this reaction, which were successfully scaled to multigram scale synthesis of the corresponding intermediate α-acetamido ketones. Subsequently, the conditions towards pyrazine formation using δ-amino-levulinic acid were optimized, and these were employed to synthesize a relevant set of five functional dimethylpyrazines in high purity. These pyrazines can be considered a versatile toolbox of aromatic building blocks for a wide range of applications, such as in the synthesis of polymers or metal–organic frameworks.     

3-Fluoroalkyl (CF3, CHF2, CH2F) Cyclobutane-Derived Building Blocks for Medicinal Chemistry: Synthesis and Physicochemical Properties

Synthesis and physicochemical characterization of all possible cis- and trans-1,3-disubstituted cyclobutane-derived amines and carboxylic acids bearing mono-, di- and trifluoromethyl groups at the C-3 position is disclosed. Tetramethylammonium fluoride (TMAF)- or morpholinosulfur trifluoride (Morph-DAST)-mediated nucleophilic fluorination of appropriate cis- and trans-diastereomeric substrates was used as the key step for the preparation of CH₂F- and CHF₂-substituted derivatives. To obtain the corresponding cis- and trans-isomeric CF₃-substituted derivatives, resolution of known 3-(trifluoromethyl)cyclobutanecarboxylic acid (obtained as a mixture of diastereomers) was applied. The proposed procedures were suitable for the preparation of corresponding fluoroalkyl-substituted cyclobutane-derived amines and carboxylic acids on up to 50 g scale. All 12 building blocks obtained were characterized by measuring dissociation constants (pK_a) and lipophilicities (LogP, for model derivatives) to evaluate the effect of the fluoroalkyl substituents on their physicochemical properties relevant to further drug discovery applications.     

Multigram Synthesis of α- and γ-((Hetera)cyclo)alkylpyridines through α-Arylation of (Hetero)aliphatic Nitriles

A systematic study on the S_nAr reaction of halogenated fluoropyridines and (hetero)aliphatic nitrile anions as an approach to the synthesis of functionalized pyridines bearing a (cyclo)alkyl or saturated heterocyclic substituent by is described. The scope of the method was demonstrated on a wide range of (hetero)aliphatic nitriles (including three- to six-membered cycloalkane derivatives and N-, O-, S-containing saturated heterocycles) and all isomeric halogenated 2-and 4-fluoropyridines. High chemo- and regioselectivity (i. e., exclusive substitution of the fluorine atom), as well as excellent scalability of the proposed reaction sequence were demonstrated (up to 450 g for the arylation step or up to 77 g of cycloalkylpyridine over two steps in a single run). The utility of the synthesized products was illustrated in the additional functional group transformations resulting in synthetically valuable pyridine-containing building blocks.     

Simple high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet method for simultaneous separation and detection of 14 bisphenol pollutants in building materials

A high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet method was developed for rapidly and simultaneously analyzing novel and typical bisphenols in building materials, including bisphenol S, diphenolic acid, bisphenol F, bisphenol E, bisphenol A, bisphenol B, bisphenol AF, bisphenol AP, bisphenol C, bisphenol FL, bisphenol Z, bisphenol BP, bisphenol M, and bisphenol P. By using a Kromasil 100–5 C18 column, these bisphenols were completely separated in 40 min via gradually increasing the concentration of methanol in the mobile phase from 45 to 80% during the elution process. In particular, this method achieved the synchronous analysis of bisphenol S, diphenolic acid, bisphenol FL, bisphenol BP, and bisphenol M through HPLC, which were difficult to separate and had to be identified and detected through mass spectrometry. The limits of detection of the method ranged from 0.002 to 0.040 mg/L for these 14 bisphenols, with a precision of less than 4.9% (n = 7, c = 0.05 mg/L). The analytical results for five types of building materials (phenolic, epoxy, polycarbonate, polyester, and polysulfone resins) indicated that the proposed method is appropriated for the rapid measurement of bisphenols in real samples.     

The first polymorph in the family of nucleobases: a second form of cytosine

A new polymorph of cytosine, C₄H₅N₃O, is reported half a century after the report of its first known crystal structure [Barker & Marsh (1964). Acta Cryst. 17 , 1581–1587]. Cytosine thus provides the first polymorphic example in the category of parent nucleobases. The new form, denoted (Ib), was observed unexpectedly during an attempt to cocrystallize cytosine with catechol. Form (Ib) crystallizes in the orthorhombic centrosymmetric space group Pccn with two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The previously known form, denoted (Ia), crystallizes in the orthorhombic noncentrosymmetric space group P2₁2₁2₁. The cytosine molecule is planar in both forms. Hydrogen‐bonding interactions are also similar for both forms. Infinite one‐dimensional ribbons composed of cytosine base‐pair dimers in R₂²(8) arrangements are observed in both (Ia) and (Ib). However, the way that the ribbons are packed differs in (Ia) and (Ib). This appears to guide the centrosymmetric versus noncentrosymmetric space‐group selection through the formation of an inversion‐related motif in polymorph (Ib) and a helical propagation in polymorph (Ia). A few selected polymorphic systems have been gathered from the Cambridge Structural Database to understand possible structural features responsible for achiral molecules adopting centro‐ and noncentrosymmetric space groups.     

The Deuterated “Magic Methyl” Group: A Guide to Site-Selective Trideuteromethyl Incorporation and Labeling by Using CD3 Reagents

In the field of medicinal chemistry, the precise installation of a trideuteromethyl group is gaining ever-increasing attention. Site-selective incorporation of the deuterated “magic methyl” group can provide profound pharmacological benefits and can be considered an important tool for drug optimization and development. This review provides a structured overview, according to trideuteromethylation reagent, of currently established methods for site-selective trideuteromethylation of carbon atoms. In addition to CD₃, the selective introduction of CD₂H and CDH₂ groups is also considered. For all methods, the corresponding mechanism and scope are discussed whenever reported. As such, this review can be a starting point for synthetic chemists to further advance trideuteromethylation methodologies. At the same time, this review aims to be a guide for medicinal chemists, offering them the available C−CD₃ formation strategies for the preparation of new or modified drugs.     

钙钛矿光伏电池封装材料与工艺研究进展

钙钛矿太阳能电池作为第3代新概念太阳能电池,具有高光电转换效率、低成本和可柔性加工等优点,近年来发展迅速,其光电转换效率从一开始的3.8%增长到近期的25.5%,逐渐比肩硅电池,已接近商业化应用水平。目前,实现钙钛矿太阳能电池产业应用的关键环节在于电池封装,它不仅可以解决钙钛矿光伏器件稳定性问题,还可以实现电池安全、环保和延长使用寿命等要求。结合近十几年来钙钛矿光伏电池封装材料和封装工艺两方面的发展现状,文中介绍了钙钛矿电池封装领域取得的成果和存在的不足,讨论了目前现有封装技术的优缺点,以及它们适用的不同器件类型。着重在不同温度湿度条件下,比较了不同封装材料性能、封装工艺条件对钙钛矿电池效率及稳定性的影响,归纳出影响钙钛矿电池薄膜封装效果的3个关键因素： 聚合物的弹性模量、水蒸气透过率、加工温度。比较了不同聚合物薄膜封装材料适宜的加工温度、优缺点及加工成本。可以看出,随着钙钛矿光伏电池工业化需求的强烈增长和人们对其封装材料研究的不断深入,研究适合大面积生产和光伏建筑一体化的新型功能聚合物封装材料将是必然趋势。     

两个相邻建筑物周围风环境的数值模拟

高层建筑物及其群体周围所引起的风环境问题正日益受到人们的重视。本文用数值模拟方法对两幢串列布置高层建筑周围的流场进行了模拟，讨论了建筑物高度、间距比等因素对风环境特性的影响。为了与两个相邻建筑物的流场进行比较，本文同时计算了单个建筑物周围流动的分布情况。数值模拟结果对揭示高层建筑群区域内再生风载荷的形成机理提供了一定的分析方法，为城市规划和高层建筑住宅小区设计提供了一定的理论参考和依据。     

Contribution to efficiency of irreversible passive energy pumping with a strong nonlinear attachment

The present study deals with nonlinear energy pumping which consists in passive irreversible transfer of energy from a linear structure to a nonlinear one. Various results (theoretical, numerical, and experimental) about energy pumping based on recent works are given. Thus, the phenomenon is studied for different excitations: transient and periodical. Moreover, advantages of such a system are carried out in particular efficiency of this phenomenon. That is why the robustness and comparison with classical tuned mass damper are analyzed. An application is considered with physical experiment using a reduced scale building.