On the 70th birthday of Oleg Georgievich Us’yarov

Jubilee

On the 70th birthday of Oleg Georgievich Us’yarov     

THE FORMATION, EVOLUTION AND CAUSE OF THE Mu Us DESERT IN CHINA

Comprehensive correlation and analysis on the stratigraphic structure of the Quaternaryeolian sand in the Mu Us Desert comfirm that the Desert has been in existenceintermittently since the initial stage of the Quaternary at latest. The Desert is asteppe type sandy desert characterized by mosaic distribution of shifting, semi-shifting, semi-fixed and fixed dune and areas of loess grass land. It did not evolve toward uniform shift-ing sand, but underwent a series of normal and reverse development processes from the occur-rence of shifting sand to the spread, fixation and reduction of the sandy desert to grassland.Climatic fluctuation since the Quaternary is the primary factor for the formation and evolutionof the Desert, while neotectonics and human activities are the secondary factors.     

Ionic Covalent Organic Framework: What Does the Unique Ionic Site Bring to Us?

Ionic covalent organic frameworks featuring both crystallinity and charged sites have arose tremendous attention from scientific community. The adjustable textural structures, well-defined channels and abundant charged sites of ionic COFs facilitate great potential in diverse aspects, such as separation, ion conduction, sensing, catalysis and energy storage. In this review, we first introduced the design and construction of ionic covalent organic frameworks(COFs), and classified them according to the types of charged sites. We focused on the various applications of ionic COFs in diverse fields. The structure-function relationship was also explored in detail. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of ionic COFs were summarized to provide guidance for better design and application of ionic COFs.     

Photodegradation of Riboflavin under Alkaline Conditions: What Can Gas-Phase Photolysis Tell Us about What Happens in Solution?

The application of electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) as a direct method for detecting reactive intermediates is a technique of developing importance in the routine monitoring of solution-phase reaction pathways. Here, we utilise a novel on-line photolysis ESI-MS approach to detect the photoproducts of riboflavin in aqueous solution under mildly alkaline conditions. Riboflavin is a constituent of many food products, so its breakdown processes are of wide interest. Our on-line photolysis setup allows for solution-phase photolysis to occur within a syringe using UVA LEDs, immediately prior to being introduced into the mass spectrometer via ESI. Gas-phase photofragmentation studies via laser-interfaced mass spectrometry of deprotonated riboflavin, [RF − H]⁻, the dominant solution-phase species under the conditions of our study, are presented alongside the solution-phase photolysis. The results obtained illustrate the extent to which gas-phase photolysis methods can inform our understanding of the corresponding solution-phase photochemistry. We determine that the solution-phase photofragmentation observed for [RF − H]⁻ closely mirrors the gas-phase photochemistry, with the dominant m/z 241 condensed-phase photoproduct also being observed in gas-phase photodissociation. Further gas-phase photoproducts are observed at m/z 255, 212, and 145. The value of exploring both the gas- and solution-phase photochemistry to characterise photochemical reactions is discussed.