Evolutionary neighborhood discovery algorithm for agricultural routing planning in multiple fields

Annals of Operations Research - In recent years, operations research in agriculture has improved the harvested yield, reduced the cost and time required for field operations, and maintained...     

What is the role of acid–acid interactions in asymmetric phosphoric acid organocatalysis? A detailed mechanistic study using interlocked and non-interlocked catalysts

Organocatalysis has revolutionized asymmetric synthesis. However, the supramolecular interactions of organocatalysts in solution are often neglected, although the formation of catalyst aggregates can have a strong impact on the catalytic reaction. For phosphoric acid based organocatalysts, we have now established that catalyst–catalyst interactions can be suppressed by using macrocyclic catalysts, which react predominantly in a monomeric fashion, while they can be favored by integration into a bifunctional catenane, which reacts mainly as phosphoric acid dimers. For acyclic phosphoric acids, we found a strongly concentration dependent behavior, involving both monomeric and dimeric catalytic pathways. Based on a detailed experimental analysis, DFT-calculations and direct NMR-based observation of the catalyst aggregates, we could demonstrate that intermolecular acid–acid interactions have a drastic influence on the reaction rate and stereoselectivity of asymmetric transfer-hydrogenation catalyzed by chiral phosphoric acids.

Supramolecular acid–acid interactions lead to competing monomeric and dimeric pathways in phosphoric acid catalysis – so that stereoselectivities depend on catalyst concentration.     

Electronic Finetuning of 8-Methoxy Psoralens by Palladium-Catalyzed Coupling: Acidochromicity and Solvatochromicity

Differently 5-substituted 8-methoxypsoralens can be synthesized by an efficient synthetic route with various cross-coupling methodologies, such as Suzuki, Sonogashira and Heck reaction. Compared to previously synthesized psoralens, thereby promising daylight absorbing compounds as potentially active agents against certain skin diseases can be readily accessed. Extensive investigations of all synthesized psoralen derivatives reveal fluorescence in the solid state as well as several distinctly emissive derivatives in solution. Donor-substituted psoralens exhibit remarkable photophysical properties, such as high fluorescence quantum yields and pronounced emission solvatochromicity and acidochromicity, which were scrutinized by Lippert–Mataga and Stern–Volmer plots. The results indicate that the compounds exceed the limit of visible light, a significant factor for potential applications as an active agent. In addition, (TD)DFT calculations were performed to elucidate the underlying electronic structure and to assign experimentally obtained data.     

Extending N-heterocyclic carbene ligands into the third dimension: a new type of hybrid phosphazane/NHC system

A simple, “click” synthetic approach to a new type of hybrid phosph(III)azane/NHC system is described. The presence of the phosphazane P₂N₂ ring unit, with P atoms flanking the NCN fragment and with this ring perpendicular to the binding site of the NHC, provides unique opportunities for modifying the electronic and steric character of these carbenes.     

Differentiating between Acidic and Basic Surface Hydroxyls on Metal Oxides by Fluoride Substitution: A Case Study on Blue TiO2 from Laser Defect Engineering

Both oxygen vacancies and surface hydroxyls play a crucial role in catalysis. Yet, their relationship is not often explored. Herein, we prepare two series of TiO₂ (rutile and P25) with increasing oxygen deficiency and Ti³⁺ concentration by pulsed laser defect engineering in liquid (PUDEL), and selectively quantify the acidic and basic surface OH by fluoride substitution. As indicated by EPR spectroscopy, the laser-generated Ti³⁺ exist near the surface of rutile, but appear to be deeper in the bulk for P25. Fluoride substitution shows that extra acidic bridging OH are selectively created on rutile, while the surface OH density remains constant for P25. These observations suggest near-surface Ti³⁺ are highly related to surface bridging OH, presumably the former increasing the electron density of the bridging oxygen to form more of the latter. We anticipate that fluoride substitution will enable better characterization of surface OH and its correlation with defects in metal oxides.     

High-Entropy Lithium Argyrodite Solid Electrolytes Enabling Stable All-Solid-State Batteries

Superionic solid electrolytes (SEs) are essential for bulk-type solid-state battery (SSB) applications. Multicomponent SEs are recently attracting attention for their favorable charge-transport properties, however a thorough understanding of how configurational entropy (ΔS_conf) affects ionic conductivity is lacking. Here, we successfully synthesized a series of halogen-rich lithium argyrodites with the general formula Li_5.5PS_4.5Cl_xBr_1.5-x (0≤x≤1.5). Using neutron powder diffraction and ³¹P magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the S²⁻/Cl⁻/Br⁻ occupancy on the anion sublattice was quantitatively analyzed. We show that disorder positively affects Li-ion dynamics, leading to a room-temperature ionic conductivity of 22.7 mS cm⁻¹ (9.6 mS cm⁻¹ in cold-pressed state) for Li_5.5PS_4.5Cl_0.8Br_0.7 (ΔS_conf=1.98R). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimental evidence that configurational entropy of the anion sublattice correlates with ion mobility. Our results indicate the possibility of improving ionic conductivity in ceramic ion conductors by tailoring the degree of compositional complexity. Moreover, the Li_5.5PS_4.5Cl_0.8Br_0.7 SE allowed for stable cycling of single-crystal LiNi_0.9Co_0.06Mn_0.04O₂ (s-NCM90) composite cathodes in SSB cells, emphasizing that dual-substituted lithium argyrodites hold great promise in enabling high-performance electrochemical energy storage.