Mechanism of HCS + O2 reaction: hydrogen- or oxygen-transfer?

In spite of the potential importance of the HCS radical in both combustion and interstellar processes, its chemical reactivity has not been tackled previously. In the present paper, the oxidation reaction of the HCS radical is theoretically investigated for the first time at the CCSD(T)/6-311++G(3df,2p)//BH&HLYP/6-311++G(d,p)+ZPVE and Gaussian-3//B3LYP/6-31G(d) levels. It is shown that the most feasible pathway is the O2 addition to the HCS radical forming the intermediate SC(H)OO which can undergo a subsequent O-extrusion leading to SC(H)O + 3O. This features an indirect O-transfer mechanism with the overall barrier of 4.4 and 3.5 kcal mol(-1), respectively, at the two levels. However, formation of the H-transfer product CS + HO2 is kinetically much less feasible, i.e., the direct mechanism has barriers of 14.3 and 8.7 kcal mol(-1), whereas the indirect mechanism has barriers of 12.6 and 10.7 kcal mol(-1), respectively. This result is in sharp contrast to the analogous HCO + O2 reaction, where the direct (with a barrier of 2.98 kcal mol(-1)) and indirect (2.26 kcal mol(-1)) H-transfer processes are highly competitive over the indirect O-transfer process (the least endothermicity is 19.9 kcal mol(-1)). The possible explanations and implications of the present results are provided.     

H?O

光电化学分解水可将太阳能转换为绿色的氢能,为目前的能源危机和环境问题提供了一种理想的解决方案.在分解水反应中,涉及四空穴过程的产氧半反应是制约性能的关键步骤,往往需要在半导体表面沉积电催化剂以加速产氧反应动力学.因此,全面理解电催化剂在光电化学分解水体系中的作用至关重要.在目前的产氧电催化剂中,过渡金属羟基氧化物电催化剂(MOOH, M=Fe, Co, Ni)因其环保、廉价、高效以及稳定的特性,已被广泛用于半导体光阳极分解水器件中.而且, MOOH可用简单的电沉积方法沉积在光电极表面,易于大面积制备.然而,电沉积法制备的MOOH具有复杂的结构,对其作用机制的全面理解更加困难.因此,本文以电沉积MOOH修饰的硅基光阳极(n+p-Si/SiOx/Fe/FeOx/MOOH)作为模型,研究了不同电催化剂对硅光阳极光电化学产氧性能的影响.实验发现电催化剂的界面优化在电催化剂修饰的光电极中发挥着重要作用,这是因为优化的界面可以提升界面电荷传输,提供更多的催化反应活性位点以及更高的本征催化活性,从而更有利于光解水性能的提升.该项研究揭示了电催化剂在光解水器件中的作用,并为今后高效光解水器件的设计提供了一定指导.首先在多晶n+p-Si基底上热蒸镀了一层30 nm的金属Fe膜,并通过电化学活化将Fe膜表面转换为FeOx得到Fe/FeOx (记作a Fe)界面层,然后利用电沉积方法制备MOOH表面修饰层,最终得到n+p-Si/SiOx/a Fe:MOOH光阳极.X射线光电子能谱、拉曼光谱以及扫描电子显微镜表面元素成像的表征结果均证实电极表面由于界面层金属Fe元素的掺杂而形成了Fe1-xNixOOH.在模拟太阳光下用于光解水产氧时, n+p-Si/SiOx/aFe:NiOOH电极的起始电位为～1.01 VRHE (相对于可逆氢电极的电势),在1.23 VRHE下的光电流为38.82 mAcm–2,显著优于n+p-Si/SiOx/aFe、 n+p-Si/SiOx/aFe:FeOOH以及n+p-Si/SiOx/aFe:CoOOH三个对比样品,且其稳定性达到75 h.另外,我们发现n+p-Si/SiOx/aFe:MOOH电极的光电化学产氧性能均显著高于n+p-Si/SiOx/aFe电极,且p++-Si/SiOx/aFe:MOOH的电催化产氧性能也高于p++-Si/SiOx/MOOH,不仅证明了aFe界面层对Si与MOOH层之间的界面接触作用的有效调控,而且表明双电催化剂体系(aFe:MOOH)的电催化产氧活性高于单电催化剂(MOOH).热力学分析表明, n+p-Si/SiOx/a Fe:MOOH光阳极的光电压大小与其光解水产氧性能并不一致,从而排除了热力学因素对性能的关键影响.进一步从塔菲尔斜率、电化学活性表面积和电化学阻抗谱对各电极的动力学进行了分析,证明了动力学因素在上述光阳极产氧性能中的主导作用.同时发现,由于a Fe:NiOOH双电催化剂具有更高的本征电催化产氧性能,提供了更多的表面活性位点以及更有效地促进了光生载流子的传输,对动力学的提升效果更显著,从而使n+p-Si/SiOx/aFe:NiOOH光阳极表现出最高的光解水产氧性能.     

Specialist or generalist?

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry -     

C~6~0O异构体的研究

本文用臭氧氧化C~6~0的苯溶液,用HPLC分析产物,室温下氧化产物只得到一个C~6~0O异构体组分峰。低温下产物得到两个C~6~0O异构体组分峰。多出的一个峰经实验与理论的研究,表明它很可能是异构体C~6~0O(C~s)。     

Organic synthesis--art or science?

The LHASA rules for finding strategic bonds in polycyclic target structures are analyzed with respect to the following question: Do the strategic bonds tend to give the greatest simplification upon disconnection, as measured by recently introduced indices of molecular complexity? The answer is yes, at least for the more general rules. This result implies that the bonds most useful for retrosynthetic disconnection can now be identified by a simple calculation rather than by application of a body of rules. It is concluded that organic synthesis, as far as described by these rules, has a mathematical basis and consequently can be considered a science as well as an art.     

Magnesium Cyanide or Isocyanide?

Preference for the binding mode of the CN^? ligand to Mg (Mg?CN vs. Mg?NC) is investigated. A monomeric Mg complex with a terminal CN ligand was prepared using the dipyrromethene ligand ^MesDPM which successfully blocks dimerization. While reaction of (^MesDPM)MgN(SiMe₃)₂ with Me₃SiCN gave the coordination complex (^MesDPM)MgN(SiMe₃)₂?NCSiMe₃, reaction with (^MesDPM)Mg(nBu) led to (^MesDPM)MgNC?(THF)₂. A Mg?NC/Mg?CN ratio of ≈95:5 was established by crystal‐structure determination and DFT calculations. IR studies show absorbances for CN stretching at 2085 cm^?1 (Mg?NC) and 2162 cm^?1 (Mg?CN) as confirmed by ¹³C labeling. In solution and in the solid state, the CN ligand rotates within the pocket. The calculated isomerization barrier is only 12.0 kcal mol^?1 and the ¹³C NMR signal for CN decoalesces at ?85 °C (Mg?NC: 175.9 ppm, Mg?CN: 144.3 ppm). Experiment and theory both indicate that Mg complexes with the CN^? ligand should not be named cyanides but are more properly defined as isocyanides.     

Does the most stable formic acid tetramer have pi stacking or C-H...O interactions?

Density functional theory (DFT), Moller-Plesset (MP) perturbation theory, and coupled-cluster calculations are used to examine low-energy minima on the potential energy surface of the formic acid tetramer (HCOOH)(4). The potential energy surface is rather flat with respect to rotation of one of the dimers, relative to the other dimer in an aligned stack, about the axis passing through the inversion centers of the dimers. Our best calculations suggest that an aligned pi-pi stack of two dimers is very likely to be the global minimum but there are two other pi-pi stacks within 0.5 kcal /mol. Moreover, a fourth pi-pi stack, a planar association of two dimers held together by C-H...O interactions, and a bowl structure all lie within 1 kcal /mol of the lowest-energy structure.     

To fold or to assemble?

We introduce a new class of foldable oligomers consisting of alternating rigid and flexible regions. The rigid segments overlap to give pi-stacked folded conformers whose formation is driven mostly by pi-pi molecular orbital overlaps. As the oligomer concentration increases, the folded molecular structures further self-assemble into larger nanostructures. The dynamic processes of folding and self-organization are monitored with absorption, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopies. Our results show that folding dominates at low concentrations (< approximately 1 mM) and precedes self-assembly, which occurs over the initial concentration range of approximately 1-100 mM.     

C–H⋯O hydrogen bond in chloroform–triformylmethane complex: Blue-shifted or red-shifted?

B3LYP/6-311+G** level of theory is used to investigate the C-H...O hydrogen bond formed by chloroform and two conformers of triformylmethane (TFM), i.e. cis-TFM (concerned with C1 configuration) and trans-TFM (concerned with C2 and C3 configurations). Polarized continuum model (PCM) is used to study the solvent (chloroform) effect on this hydrogen bond. The C3 configuration is more stable than the C1 configuration whether the absolute energy or the stabilization energy is concerned. For the C1 and C2 configurations this hydrogen bond is of blue-shifted type both in gas phase and in chloroform solution. For the C3 configuration this hydrogen bond is of red-shifted type in gas phase but turns into blue-shifted type in chloroform solution instead. It's inappropriate to simply designate this hydrogen bond as blue-shifted type or red-shifted type.     

Ce0．6Zr0．35Y0．0502和Pr0．6Zr0．35Y0．05O2催化剂表面上CO氧化和^18O-^16O交换反应的研究

测定了在Ce0．6Zr0.4O2,Ce0.6Zr0.35Y0.05O2,Pr0.6Zr0.4O2和Pr0.6Zr0.35Y0.05O2(分别表示为CZ，CYZ，PZ和PYZ)样品表面上的CO氧化反应和^18O-^16O同位素交换反应。结果表明：在CZ和PZ系列固熔中掺杂Y^3 离子可以改善晶格氧的迁移速度；PZ和PZY的晶格氧比CZ和CZY的晶格氧具有更高的氧化反应活性。其原因是将Y^3 掺杂到Ce0.6Zr0.4O2或Pr0.6Zr0.4O2晶格中，增加了样品的氧空位浓度，从而提高了晶格氧的迁移性质，而PrOx比CeO2具有更低温度的氧化还原性质，因此PZ和PZY的晶格氧比CZ和CZY的晶格氧具有更高的氧化反应活性。     

球形LiNi0．95AI0．05O2的熔盐包裹法合成

以LiNO3、AI（NO3）3&#183;9H2O和球形Ni（OH）2为原料,采用熔盐包裹法在空气中合成了球形LiNi0．95AI0．05O2。研究了合成产物的形貌、结构和电化学性能,考察了合成温度、合成时间和锂过量对合成产物结构和电化学性能的影响。实验结果表明,在空气中合成的LiNi0．95AI0．05O2具有α-NaFeO2型层状有序结构、良好的球状形貌和相当高的电化学性能。在空气中合成LiNi0．95AI0．05O2的最佳工艺条件为煅烧温度750℃,煅烧时间16h,锂过量摩尔分数10％。在室温下以30mA／g的电流密度在2．5～4．35V电压之间充放电,样品首次放电比容量达176．0mA&#183;h／g,经30次循环,放电比容量仍保持在167．1mA&#183;h／g,容量保持率为94．9％。