Effect of oxygen-containing functional groups on the wettability of coal through DFT and MD simulation

To investigate the wettability of different oxygen-containing functional group (OFG) surfaces, graphite substrates were used as a model for coal adsorbents. The substrates were modified with COOH, OH, CO, and OCH₃. The adsorption-diffusion behavior of H₂O molecules/water droplets on different OFG surfaces was investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with frontier orbital energy difference as a metric for different surface wettability degrees in quantum chemical analysis. The results indicated that the frontier orbital energy difference of the H₂O molecule was 3.480, 3.491, 3.631, and 3.680 eV for PhCOOH, PhOH, PhCO, and PhOCH₃, respectively. In addition, the equilibrium contact angle, interaction energy, and number of hydrogen bonds after the adsorption equilibrium of water droplets for COOH, OH, CO, and OCH₃ surfaces were 22.34°, ?5.03 kcal/mol, and 652; –23.72°, ?4.19 kcal/mol, and 450; 68.01°, ?0.79 kcal/ mol, and 61; 90.51°, ?0.50 kcal/mol, and 28, respectively. The smaller the energy difference between the frontier orbitals of the H₂O molecule and the OFG, the smaller the equilibrium contact angle between the water droplet and the OFG surface, the more hydrogen bonds were formed, and the larger the absolute value of the interaction energy, the better the wettability of the surface of the OFG. The order of wettability of the different OFG surfaces was COOH > OH > CO > OCH₃, which is consistent with the radial distribution function and the analysis results for the extended area, etc. The results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and MD simulations exhibited identical patterns, indicating the reasonableness of the simulations. This study may serve as a reference for the suppression of hydrophilicity in low-order coal and the enhancement of the flotation effect.     

Non-directed highly para-selective CH functionalization of TIPS-protected phenols promoted by a carboxylic acid ligand

Palladium-catalyzed non-directed CH functionalization provides an efficient approach for direct functionalization of arenes, but it usually suffers from poor site selectivity, limiting its wide application. Herein, it is reported for the first time that the carboxylic acid ligand of 3,5-dimethyladamantane-1-carboxylic acid (1-DMAdCO₂H) can affect the site selectivity during the CH activation step in palladium-catalyzed non-directed CH functionalization, leading to highly para-selective CH olefination of TIPS-protected phenols. This transformation displayed good generality in realizing various other para-selective CH functionalization reactions such as halogenation, and allylation reactions. A wide variety of phenol derivatives including bioactive molecules of triclosan, thymol, and propofol, were compatible substrates, leading to the corresponding para-selective products in moderate to good yields. A preliminary mechanism study revealed that the spatial repulsion factor between carboxylic acid ligand and bulky protecting group resulted in the selective CH activation at the less sterically hindered para-position. This new model non-directed para-selective CH functionalization can provide a straightforward route for remote site-selective CH activations.     

Enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of CeO2@Zn0.5Cd0.5S by facile Ce(IV)/Ce(III) cycle

In this study, CeO₂@Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S heterostructure (Ce@ZCS) is synthesized via a simple two-step hydrothermal method. The effect of CeO₂ loading on the visible-light photoactivity of Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S is mainly investigated. It is found that Ce@ZCS shows a 1.9 times activity as high as ZCS for the MB degradation. The improved activity mainly results from the significant enhanced charge separation by CeO₂, in which the electron transfer is obviously promoted by the facile Ce(IV)/Ce(III) cycle. The excited electrons of ZCS is easy to transfer to CeO₂, thus obviously increasing the charge separation of ZCS. The accepted electrons by CeO₂ may easily be captured by the adsorbed O₂ to form O₂⁻, and then O₂⁻ could combine with H⁺/H₂O to form HO₂, and OH. Finally, O₂⁻, h⁺ and OH are confirmed as the major oxidative species in photocatalytic reaction for Ce@ZCS, and a possible photocatalytic mechanism is proposed. The cheap, efficient Ce@ZCS photocatalyst could be applied for practical waste water treatment.     

I2/TBHP mediated multiple CH bonds functionalization of azaarenes with methylarenes to synthesize iodoisoquinolinones via iodination/N-benzylation/amidation sequence

An oxidative multi-functionalization of azaarenes with benzylic CH bonds of methylarenes via iodination/N-benzylation/amidation cascade, to produce N-benzyl-4-iodoisoquinolin-1(2H)-ones and N-benzyl-3-iodoquinolin-2(1H)-ones is developed. The molecular iodine plays a triple role in activating benzylic sp³ CH bond of methylbenzenes, accelerating the oxidation process and serving as iodination reagent. This reaction utilizes cheap and readily available azaarenes and methylarenes as starting materials and proceeds under metal-free conditions to construct C-I, CN and CO bonds consecutively and afford iodo(iso)quinolinones efficiently.     

InP quantum dots on g-C3N4 nanosheets to promote molecular oxygen activation under visible light

Largely limited by the high dissociation energy of the OO bond, the photocatalytic molecular oxygen activation is highly challenged, which restrains the application of photocatalytic oxidation technology for atmospheric pollutants removal. Herein, we design and fabricate the InP QDs/g-C₃N₄ compounds. The introduction of InP QDs promotes the charge transfer within the interface resulting in the effective separation of photo-generated carriers. Furthermore, InP QDs greatly facilitates the activation of molecular oxygen and promote the formation of O₂⁻ under visible-light illumination. These conclusions are identified by experimental and calculation results. Hence, NO can be combined with the O₂⁻ to form OONO intermediate to direct conversion into NO₃⁻. As a result, the NO removal ratio of g-C₃N₄ has a onefold increase after InP QDs loaded and the generation of NO₂ is effectively inhibited. This work may provide a strategy to design highly efficient materials for molecular oxygen activation.     

Functional groups to modify g-C_3N_4 for improved photocatalytic activity of hydrogen evolution from water splitting

Rational modification by functional groups was regarded as one of efficient methods to improve the photocatalytic performance of graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_3 N_4).Herein,g-C_3 N_4 with yellow(Y-GCN) and brown(C-GCN) were prepared by using the fresh urea and the urea kept for five years,respectively,for the first time.Experimental results show that the H2 production rate of the C-GCN is 39.06 μmol/h,which is about 5 times of the Y-GCN.Meantime,in terms of apparent quantum efficiency(AQ.E) at 420 nm,C-GCN has a value of 6.3% and nearly 7.3 times higher than that of Y-GCN(0.86%).The results of XRD,IR,DRS,and NMR show,different from Y-GCN,a new kind of functional group of —N=CH— was firstly in-situ introduced into the C-GCN,resulting in good visible light absorption,and then markedly improving the photocatalytic performance.DFT calculation also confirms the effect of the —N=CH— group band structure of g-C_3N_4.Furthermore,XPS results demonstrate that the existence of —N=CH— groups in C-GCN results in tight interaction between C-GCN and Pt nanoparticles,and then improves the charge separation and photocatalytic performance.The present work demonstrates a good example of "defect engineering" to modify the intrinsic molecular structure of g-C_3N_4 and provides a new avenue to enhance the photocatalytic activity of g-C_3N_4 via facile and environmental-friendly method.     

Copper-catalyzed oxidative CH bond functionalization of N-allylbenzamide for CN and CC bond formation

CH bond functionalization for CN and CC bond formations via cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) of N-allylbenzamides with indole as amine source has been developed under a copper-catalyzed condition. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first examples in which different classes of N-containing compounds were directly prepared from the readily available N-allylbenzamides using an inexpensive catalyst-oxidant (CuSO₄/TBHP) system. Further, it was applied for the synthesis of α-substituted N-allylbenzamides by using Grignard reagent as nucleophiles.     

Graphdiyne as a novel nonactive anode for wastewater treatment: A theoretical study

Electrochemical oxidation of water to produce highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (OH) is the dominant factor that accounts for the organic compounds removal efficiency in water treatment. As an emerging carbon-based material, the investigation of electrocatalytic of water to produce OH on Graphdiyne (GDY) anode is firstly evaluated by using first-principles calculations. The theoretical calculation results demonstrated that the GDY anode owns a large oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotential (η^OER = 1.95 V) and a weak sorptive ability towards oxygen evolution intermediates (HO*, not OH). The high Gibbs energy change of HO* (3.18 eV) on GDY anode makes the selective production of OH (ΔG = 2.4 eV) thermodynamically favorable. The investigation comprises the understanding of the relationship between OER to electrochemical advanced oxidation process (EAOP), and give a proof-of-concept of finding the novel and robust environmental EAOP anode at quantum chemistry level.     

Reaction pathway change on plasmonic Au nanoparticles studied by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) are nanoscale sources of light and electrons, which are highly relevant for their extensive applications in the field of photocatalysis. Although a number of research works have been carried out on chemical reactions accelerated by the energetic hot electrons/holes, the possibility of reaction pathway change on the plasmonic Au surfaces has not been reported so far. In this proof-of-concept study, we find that Au NPs change the reaction pathway in photooxidation of alkyne under visible light irradiation. This reaction produces benzil (COCO) without the presence of Au NPs. In contrast, as indicated by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) results, the CC triple bonds (CC) adsorbed on Au NPs are converted into carboxyl (COOH) and acyl chloride (COCl) groups. The plasmonic Au NPs not only provide energetic charge carriers but also activate the reactant molecules as conventional heterogeneous catalysts. This study discloses the second role of plasmonic NPs in photocatalysis and bridges the gap between plasmon-driven and conventional heterogeneous catalysis.     

Novel organic magnet derived from pyrazine-fused furazans

The first organic magnet based on a high-nitrogen framework of pyrazine-fused furazans Na(L⁻)(H₂O)₃ was found. A quantum-chemical study of M(L⁻)(H₂O)_n, where M = Li, Na, K, Rb, NH₄, revealed that exchange coupling energy between the neighboring radical anions proved highly sensitive to the motion of one L⁻ relative to another.     

Glycidyl ether of naturally occurring sesamol in the synthesis of mussel-inspired polymers

The objective of this work is to synthesize the mussel-mimicking ionic polymers bearing electron-rich 1,3,4-triphenoxy motifs of naturally occurring sesamol [3,4-(methylenedioxy)phenol] I. To our knowledge, the work would represent, for the first time, the ring-opening reaction of epoxide built upon the triphenoxy motifs of hydroxyhydroquinone. Sesamol I upon O-alkylation using epibromohydrin has been converted to its epoxy monomer II in 77% yield. Monomer II under ring-opening polymerization using basic Bu₄NOH and Bu₄NF as well as by Lewis acid initiator/catalyst MePh₃PBr/ⁱBu₃Al led to polyether III in 80–99% yields. Monomer II and allyl glycidyl ether (i.e. allyl 2,3-epoxypropyl ether) IV upon polymerization gave random copolymer V of number average molar mass of 9570 g mol⁻¹, which upon thiol-ene reaction with HSCH₂CH₂NH₃⁺Cl⁻ and HSCH₂CO₂H afforded cationic (^^^NH₃⁺) VI and anionic (^^^CO₂⁻) VII copolymers, respectively. For facile deprotection, the methylenedioxy (OCH₂O) motifs in VI was activated by its conversion to labile acetoxymethylenedioxy [OCH(OAc)O] unit to obtain VIII in 80% yields. The pendant allyl groups in VIII upon elaboration via thiol-ene reaction using cysteamine hydrochloride and subsequent hydrolysis of [OCH(OAc)O] under a mild condition led to a mussel-inspired cationic copolymer IX (78%) having catechol motifs-embedded pendants of 3,4-dihydroxyphenoxy groups.     

Spectral characterization,electrochemical, antimicrobial and cytotoxic studies on new metal(II) complexes containing N2O4 donor hexadentate Schiff base ligand

We report the biological activity of the new Schiff base ligand H₂L (H₂L = 6,6′-((1E,11E)-5,8-dioxa-2,11-diazadodeca-1,11-diene-1,12-diyl)bis(2,4-dichlorophenol)), its derived metal(II) complexes [Cu(L)] (1), [Co(L)] (2), [Ni(L)] (3) and [Zn(L)] (4), along with their structural characterizations by using various analytical and spectroscopic techniques. Electrochemical investigations showed that all of these Cu(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes were reversibly reducible. Although the change of the number of unpaired electrons are different of the metal cations, they have an effect on the redox potentials of the Co(II)/(I), Ni(II)/(I) and Cu(II)/(I) couples. The ¹H NMR and FTIR data concluded that the Schiff base ligand H₂L acts as a hexadentate ligand coordinating with metal(II) ions through the oxygen atoms of the (COC), phenolic (COH) groups and nitrogen atom of the azomethine (CHN) group. UV-Visible absorption spectra studies clearly revealed the octahedral geometry of the prepared metal(II) complexes. Complexes 1 and 4 were found to be efficient in bringing about antimicrobial activities. The proposed mechanism of their antimicrobial activities has been discussed. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed the remarkable cytotoxicity of complex 1 (IC50 = 17 ± 1.3 μg/mL) on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells than Schiff base ligand H₂L and complexes 2–4. Moreover, AO/EB staining assay revealed cell death due to apoptosis in MCF-7 cells and the generation of ROS by the Schiff base ligand H₂L and its derived metal(II) complexes 1–4 may be a possible cause for their cytotoxic activity.     

The synthesis,characterizations, and lead adsorption studies of chicken eggshell powder and chicken eggshell powder-doped iron (III) oxide-hydroxide

The contamination of lead in wastewater causes water quality problems, which is toxic to aquatic organisms and environment, so wastewater treatment is required before discharging to receiving water. Chicken eggshell powder (CP) and chicken eggshell powder-doped iron (III) oxide-hydroxide (CPF) were synthesized, characterized, and investigated lead removal efficiencies by batch experiments, adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and desorption experiments. The specific surface area and pore volume of CPF were higher than CP, whereas the pore diameter size of CPF was smaller than CP. The phase structures of both materials demonstrated semi-crystalline phases with presenting peaks of calcium carbonate. Their surface morphologies were irregular, rough, and uneven surfaces. In both materials, they detected carbon, calcium, oxygen, OH, NH, CO, CO, and CH. The point of zero charges (pH_pzc) of CP and CPF were 4.47 and 4.83. For batch experiments, CPF demonstrated a higher lead removal efficiency than CP because of spending less material dosage and contact time than CP, and both materials had high lead removals at a lead concentration of 50 mg/L by more than 95 %. Thus, the addition of iron (III) oxide-hydroxide helped to increase material efficiency for lead adsorption. CP corresponded to the Langmuir model while CPF corresponded to the Freundlich model. In addition, both materials corresponded to a pseudo-second-order kinetic model relating to a chemisorption process. Moreover, both materials could be reusable for more than 5 cycles for lead adsorption of more than 77 %. Therefore, CPF was a potential material to apply for lead removals in industrial applications.     

Ru(II)-catalyzed regioselective C-7 hydroxymethylation of indolines with formaldehyde

A regioselective addition of C7H bonds of indolines to formaldehyde is reported to synthesize a variety of C-7 hydroxymethylated indolines via a Ru(II)-catalyzed CH activation. More importantly, a one-pot CH formylation procedure is also developed to synthesize valuable C7-formyl indoles.     

I2/PhI(OAc)2-assisted oxidative CH amination protocols toward metal-free pragmatic synthesis of pyrrolo[2,3-b]indoles

We report herein an I₂/PhI(OAc)₂ catalytic system for the pragmatic construction of CN bonds through CH/NH oxidative coupling protocol. Divergent pyrrolo[2,3-b]indoles were efficiently prepared via I₂-catalyzed intramolecular C–H amination reactions from (E/Z)-2-indolylenamines under metal-free conditions. Various functional groups are tolerated under mild reaction conditions and the resulting pyrrolo[2,3-b]indoles were obtained with mostly good to excellent yields. It was interesting to observe that both the (E)- and (Z)-isomers of the starting materials were efficiently transformed into the targeted product. The I⁺-mediated catalytic cycle was proposed based on mechanistic studies for this reaction.     

Acid-catalyzed chemodivergent reactions of 2,2-dimethoxyacetaldehyde and anilines

Chemodivergent reactions of 2,2-dimethoxyacetaldehyde and anilines were described, which were established on the basis of either a CC bond cleavage or a rearrangement process of a reaction intermediate. These reactions proceeded in a condition-determined manner with good functional group tolerance. In the first model, 2,2-dimethoxyacetaldehyde reacted with aniline to form a new CN bond, in the presence of O₂, via a CC bond cleavage reaction. However, in the second model, by performing the reaction in the absence of O₂, Heyns rearrangement occurred and generated a new CO bond to form methyl phenylglycinate. Such condition-determined reactions not only offered the new way for value-added conversion of biomass-derived platform molecule, 2, 2-dimethoxyacetaldehyde, but also provided efficient methods for the synthesis of N-arylformamides and methyl phenylglycinates.     

How long a C–C bond can be? An example of extraordinary long C–C single bond in 1,2-diarylamino-o-carborane

The longest C-C single bond of 1.990(4) Å known thus far is observed in the single crystal X-ray structure of 1,2-(NHMes)₂-o-carborane (Mes = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl), which is readily synthesized via a one-pot process.     

Hydrogen generation of ammonia borane hydrolysis catalyzed by Fe22@Co58 core-shell structure

In this paper, the process of ammonia borane (AB) hydrolysis generate H₂ on the transition metal Fe@Co core-shell structure has been obtained. According to the different roles played by H₂O molecules and the number of H₂O molecules involved, there are three schemes of reaction paths. Route I does not involve the dissociation of H₂O molecules and all H atoms come from AB. Moreover, the H₂O molecule has no effect on the breaking of the BH bond or the NH bond. The reaction absorbs more heat during the formation of the second and third H₂ molecules. Route II includes the dissociation of H₂O molecules and the cleavage of BH or NH bonds, respectively, and the reaction shows a slight exotherm. Route III started from the break of the BN bond and obtained 3H₂ molecules through the participation of different numbers of H₂O molecules. After multiple comparative analyses, the optimal hydrolysis reaction path has been obtained, and the reaction process can proceed spontaneously at room temperature.     

One-pot synthesis of 2-amino-3,4-dicyanopyridines from ketoximes and tetracyanoethylene via Cu(I)-catalyzed cyclization

A novel approach to 2-amino-3,4-dicyanopyridines has been discovered from Cu(I)-catalyzed cyclizations of simple and easily available ketoximes and tetracyanoethylene (TCNE). The complexed radical mechanism involves cleavage of several OH/NO/CH bonds, and new CC/CN bonds formation. A wide variety of substrates with different functional groups could be smoothly converted into the corresponding products in moderate yields.     

Metal-free C(sp2)-H perfluoroalkylsulfonylation and configuration inversion: Stereoselective synthesis of α-perfluoroalkylsulfonyl E-enaminones

The perfluoroalkylsulfonylation (CF₃SO₂, C₂F₅SO₂ and CHF₂SO₂) in the enaminone CH bonds has been developed simply via the promotion of molecular iodine by using stable and cheap sodium perfluoroalkyl sulfinates as coupling partners. The stereoselective synthesis of E-configurated α-perfluoroalkylsulfonyl enaminones has been realized via unprecedented CH bond elaboration and CC double bond configuration inversion by free radical process.