Site-Selective Supramolecular Complexation Activates Catalytic Ethane Oxidation by a Nitrido-Bridged Iron Porphyrinoid Dimer

Development of supramolecular methods to further activate a highly reactive intermediate is a fascinating strategy to create novel potent catalysts for activation of inert chemicals. Herein, a supramolecular approach to enhance the oxidizing ability of a high-valent oxo species of a nitrido-bridged iron porphyrinoid dimer that is a known potent molecular catalyst for light alkane oxidation is reported. For this purpose, a nitrido-bridged dinuclear iron complex of porphyrin-phthalocyanine heterodimer 3 ⁵⁺, which is connected through a fourfold rotaxane, was prepared. Heterodimer 3 ⁵⁺ catalyzed ethane oxidation in the presence of H₂O₂ at a relatively low temperature. The site-selective complexation of 3 ⁵⁺ with an additional anionic porphyrin (TPPS⁴⁻) through π–π stacking and electrostatic interactions afforded a stable 1:1 complex. It was demonstrated that the supramolecular post-synthetic modification of 3 ⁵⁺ enhances its catalytic activity efficiently. Moreover, supramolecular conjugates achieved higher catalytic ethane oxidation activity than nitrido-bridged iron phthalocyanine dimer, which is the most potent iron-oxo-based molecular catalyst for light-alkane oxidation reported so far. Electrochemical measurements proved that the electronic perturbation from TPPS⁴⁻ to 3 ⁵⁺ enhanced the catalytic activity.     

Rhodium-Catalyzed ortho-Bromination of O-Phenyl Carbamates Accelerated by a Secondary Amide-Pendant Cyclopentadienyl Ligand

It has been established that a newly developed cyclopentadienyl rhodium(III) [Cp^ARh^III] complex, bearing an acidic secondary amide moiety on the Cp ring, is able to catalyze the ortho-bromination of O-phenyl carbamates with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) at room temperature. The presence of the acidic secondary amide moiety on the Cp^A ligand accelerates the bromination by the hydrogen bond between the acidic NH group of the Cp^A ligand and the carbonyl group of NBS.     

Enhancement of Photocatalytic Activity for Hydrogen Production by Surface Modification of Pt-TiO2 Nanoparticles with a Double Layer of Photosensitizers

To investigate the effect of the surface structure of dye-sensitized photocatalyst nanoparticles, we prepared three types of Ru^II-photosensitizer (PS)-double-layered Pt-cocatalyst-loaded TiO₂ nanoparticles with different surface structures, Zr- RuCP⁶ -Zr- RuP⁶ @N wt %Pt-TiO₂, RuCP⁶ -Zr- RuP⁶ @N wt %Pt-TiO₂, and RuCP² -Zr- RuP⁶ @N wt %Pt-TiO₂ (N=0.2, 1, and 5), and evaluated their photocatalytic H₂ evolution activity in the presence of redox-reversible iodide as the electron donor. Although the driving force of the electron injection from I⁻ to the photo-oxidized Ru^III PS is comparable, the activity increased in the following order: RuCP² -Zr- RuP⁶ @1 wt %Pt-TiO₂ < RuCP⁶ -Zr- RuP⁶ @1 wt %Pt-TiO₂ < Zr- RuCP⁶ -Zr- RuP⁶ @1 wt %Pt-TiO₂. The apparent quantum yield of Zr- RuCP⁶ -Zr- RuP⁶ @1 wt %Pt-TiO₂ in the first hour reached 1 %. Zeta-potential measurements suggest that the surface Zr⁴⁺-phosphate groups attracted I⁻ anions to the nanoparticle–solution interface. Our results indicate that the surface modification of dye-sensitized photocatalysts is a promising approach to enhance photocatalytic activity with various redox mediators.     

Effects of graded porous structure on local strain distribution under compression in silicone rubber

Silicone rubber samples with gradually changing pore sizes within the range of 70–610 μm are produced using an improved spacer method. The samples are scanned using an X‐ray computed tomography to evaluate their graded structure as compared to uniform rubber. A compressive test reveals that graded porous silicone rubber has characteristic stress–strain curves whose slope changes within a specific strain range depending on the porous structure. Analysis results of local strain based on a digital image correlation of the graded porous silicone rubber under compression demonstrate that the characteristic stress–strain properties are caused by shifts in the main deformation region in the graded structure. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 1033–1042     

Formal [4+2] cycloaddition of 3-phenylcyclobutanones with nitriles

Various 3-phenylcyclobutanones reacted with aliphatic and aromatic nitriles in the presence of Me₃SiOTf to afford dihydropyridones by formal [4+2] cycloaddition.     

Significant Effect of the Flexibility of Bridging Alkyl Chains on the Proximity of Stacked Porphyrin and Phthalocyanine Conjugated with a Fourfold Rotaxane Linkage

Spatial distance is an important factor in controlling the functional interactions between molecular units in a conjugate; therefore, the bridging unit has been closely examined. Here, we examined the effect of the flexibility of bridging alkyl chains on the proximity of stacked porphyrin and phthalocyanine conjugated with a fourfold rotaxane linkage. We found that closely stacking two π systems requires bridging alkyl chains above a certain length, and the shorter bridges hinder stacking because of their lower flexibility. The stacking distance between porphyrin and phthalocyanine in the conjugate with decyl (C₁₀) chains was estimated to be 4.03 Å and showed a unique physical character arising from short-distance interactions. The longer alkyl chains minimized steric restriction inside the fourfold rotaxane and allowed efficient communication between the porphyrin and phthalocyanine units. This is due to the flexibility of the side chains.     

An Electron Dynamics Mechanism of Charge Separation in the Initial‐Stage Dynamics of Photoinduced Water Splitting in XMnWater (X=OH,OCaH) and Electron–Proton Acceptors

An electron dynamics mechanism of charge separation in the initial stage of excited‐state reactions of the class of X?Mn?OH₂???A${ \to }$ X?Mn?OH???HA (X=OH or OCaH; A=N‐methylformamidine, guanidine, imidazole, or ammonia cluster) is reported. The dynamic effect of calcium doping is also revealed. This study provides a novel factor to be considered in designing efficient systems for photoinduced water splitting.     

Beijing Lectures on the Grade Restriction Rule

The authors describe the relationships between categories of B-branes in different phases of the non-Abelian gauged linear sigma model.The relationship is described explicitly for the model proposed by Hori and Tong with non-Abelian gauge group that connects two non-birational Calabi-Yau varieties studied by Rφdland.A grade restriction rule for this model is derived using the hemisphere partition function and it is used to map B-type D-branes between the two Calabi-Yau varieties.     

Biomimetic Design of a Robustly Stabilized Folded State Enabling Seed-Initiated Supramolecular Polymerization under Microfluidic Mixing**

We have investigated the folding and assembly behavior of a cystine-based dimeric diamide bearing pyrene units and solubilizing alkyl chains. In low-polarity solvents, it forms a 14-membered ring through double intramolecular hydrogen bonds between two diamide units. The spectroscopic studies revealed that the folded state is thermodynamically unstable and eventually transforms into more energetically stable helical supramolecular polymers that show an enhanced chiral excitonic coupling between the transition dipoles of the pyrene units. Importantly, compared to an alanine-based monomeric diamide, the dimeric diamide exhibits a superior kinetic stability in the metastable folded state, as well as an increased thermodynamic stability in the aggregated state. Accordingly, the initiation of supramolecular polymerization can be regulated using a seeding method even under microfluidic mixing conditions. Furthermore, taking advantage of a self-sorting behavior observed in a mixture of l -cysteine- and d -cysteine-based dimeric diamides, a two-step supramolecular polymerization was achieved by stepwise addition of the corresponding seeds.