Sulfonate salts of the therapeutic agent dapsone: 4‐[(4‐aminophenyl)sulfonyl]anilinium benzenesulfonate monohydrate and 4‐[(4‐aminophenyl)sulfonyl]anilinium methanesulfonate monohydrate

Dapsone, formerly used to treat leprosy, now has wider therapeutic applications. As is the case for many therapeutic agents, low aqueous solubility and high toxicity are the main problems associated with its use. Derivatization of its amino groups has been widely explored but shows no significant therapeutic improvements. Cocrystals have been prepared to understand not only its structural properties, but also its solubility and dissolution rate. Few salts of dapsone have been described. The title salts, C₁₂H₁₃N₂O₂S⁺·C₆H₅O₃S⁻·H₂O and C₁₂H₁₃N₂O₂S⁺·CH₃SO₃⁻·H₂O, crystallize as hydrates and both compounds exhibit the same space group (monoclinic, P2₁/n). The asymmetric unit of each salt consists of a 4‐[(4‐aminophenyl)sulfonyl]anilinium monocation, the corresponding sulfonate anion and a water molecule. The cation, anion and water molecule form hydrogen‐bonded networks through N—H…O=S, N—H…O_water and O_water—H…O=S hydrogen bonds. For both salts, the water molecules interact with one sulfonate anion and two anilinium cations. The benzenesulfonate salt forms a two‐dimensional network, while the hydrogen bonding within the methanesulfonate salt results in a three‐dimensional network.     

2‐Amino‐5‐iodopyridinium bromide hemihydrate and 2‐amino‐5‐iodopyridinium chloride monohydrate

The hydrobromide and hydrochloride salts of 2‐amino‐5‐iodopyridine were prepared from aqueous solutions. The hydrobromide salt, C₅H₆IN₂⁺·Br⁻·0.5H₂O, crystallizes as a hemihydrate, and exhibits hydrogen bonding and π‐stacking which stabilize the crystal structure. The hydrochloride salt, C₅H₆IN₂⁺·Cl⁻·H₂O·0.375HCl, crystallized as the hydrate and exhibits similar hydrogen bonding and π‐stacking in the lattice. The most interesting feature of the hydrochloride salt is the presence of an additional fractional HCl molecule which introduces disorder in the location of the water molecule. The additional proton from the fractional HCl molecule is accounted for by the presence of a partial hydronium ion on one of the water sites.     

Monitoring H2O2 on the Surface of Single Cells with Liquid Crystal Elastomer Microspheres

Live‐imaging of signaling molecules released from living cells is a fundamental challenge in life sciences. Herein, we synthesized liquid crystal elastomer microspheres functionalized with horse‐radish peroxidase (LCEM‐HRP), which can be immobilized directly on the cell membrane to monitor real‐time release of H₂O₂ at the single‐cell level. LCEM‐HRP could report H₂O₂ through a concentric‐to‐radial (C‐R) transfiguration, which is due to the deprotonation of LCEM‐HRP and the break of inter or intra‐chain hydrogen bonding in LCEM‐HRP caused by HRP‐catalyzed reduction of H₂O₂. The level of transfiguration of LCEM‐HRP revealed the different amounts of H₂O₂ released from cells. The estimated detection sensitivity was ≈2.2×10^?7 μm for 10 min of detection time. The cell lines and cell–cell heterogeneity was explored from different configurations. LCEM‐HRP presents a new approach for in situ real‐time imaging of H₂O₂ release from living cells and can be the basis for seeking more advanced chemical probes for imaging of various signaling molecules in the cellular microenvironment.     

Packing forces in dichloridobis(3,5‐diphenyl‐1H‐pyrazole‐κN2)cobalt(II) dichloromethane hemisolvate

The title compound, [CoCl₂(C₁₅H₁₂N₂)₂]·0.5CH₂Cl₂, was crystallized from a binary mixture of dichloromethane and hexane and a dimeric supramolecular structure was isolated. The Co^II centre exhibits a distorted tetrahedral geometry, with two independent pyrazole‐based ligands occupying two coordination sites and two chloride ligands occupying the third and fourth coordination sites. The supramolecular structure is supported by complementary hydrogen bonding between the pyrazole NH group and the chloride ligand of an adjacent molecule. This hydrogen‐bonding motif yields a ten‐membered hydrogen‐bonded ring. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations at the PBE/6‐311G level of theory were used to probe the solid‐state structure. These simulations suggest that the chelate undergoes a degree of conformational distortion from the lowest‐energy geometry to allow for optimal hydrogen bonding in the solid state.     

CO2 Reduction by Hydrogen Pre-Reduced Acceptor-Doped Ceria

The reactivity of H₂ pre-reduced acceptor-doped ceria materials Gd_0.10Ce_0.90O_2-δ (GDC10) and Sm_0.15Ce_0.85O_2-δ (SDC15) was tested with respect to the reduction of CO₂ to CO in the context of the reverse water-gas shift reaction. It was demonstrated that not only oxygen vacancies, but also dissolved hydrogen is a reactive species for the reduction of CO₂. Dissolved hydrogen must be considered upon discussion of the mechanism of the reverse water-gas shift reaction on ceria-derived materials apart from oxygen vacancies and formates. The reduction of CO₂ is preceded by the formation of carbonate species of different thermal stability and reactivity. The stability of these carbonates was directly demonstrated by in situ infrared spectroscopy and revealed the largely reversible nature of CO₂ ad- and desorption. In comparison to pre-reduced samples, decreased carbonate coverage is obtained after oxidative treatments of GDC10 and SDC15. No significant effect of the sample treatment (O₂ oxidation or H₂ reduction) on the surface carbonate stability was noticed. Mono-dentate carbonates and carboxylates appear to be more easily formed on pre-reduced (i. e. defective) samples. Ce⁴⁺ reduction to Ce³⁺ (by H₂) and re-oxidation to Ce⁴⁺ (by CO₂) on GDC10/SDC15 were directly monitored by infrared spectroscopic analysis of a distinct, IR-active electronic transition of Ce³⁺. These results show the complex interplay of oxygen vacancy/dissolved hydrogen reactivity and surface chemical aspects in acceptor-doped ceria materials.     

Structure of the C17H20FN3O 32+ ·2HSO 4? · H2O compound

A new compound of C₁₇H₂₀FN₃O₃²⁺ · 2HSO₄⁻·H₂O [ciprofloxacindi-um bis(hydrosulfate) monohydrate], C₁₇H₁₈FN₃O₃ 1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-7-(1-piperazinyl)-3-quinolinecarboxylic acid (CfH, ciprofloxacin) is obtained and its crystal structure is determined. The crystal contains CfH₃²⁺ and HSO₄⁻ ions and crystallization water molecules. Hydrogen (H3), which forms an intramolecular hydrogen bond with oxygen O2 of the carboxyl group, is attached to the carbonyl O1 atom. Hydrogen H4 of the carboxyl group is hydrogen bonded to the crystallization water molecule which links CfH₃²⁺ with two HSO₄⁻ groups by hydrogen bonds. Both H atoms at N3 of the piperazine ring form hydrogen bonds with two oxygen atoms of other HSO₄⁻ anions. Intramolecular hydrogen bonds of two types are present in the CfH₃²⁺ cation. One of them forms a six-membered ring, bonding O1 and O2 atoms, while the other, also enclosing a six-membered ring, links fluorine and carbon C14 atoms. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2009 by A. D. Vasiliev, N. N. Golovnev, and I. A. Baidina __________ Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 50, No. 1, pp. 165–168, January–February, 2009.     

Comparison of the hydrogen‐bond patterns in 2‐amino‐1,3,4‐thiadiazolium hydrogen oxalate, 2‐amino‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole–succinic acid (1/2), 2‐amino‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole–glutaric acid (1/1) and 2‐amino‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole–adipic acid (1/1)

The X‐ray single‐crystal structure determinations of the chemically related compounds 2‐amino‐1,3,4‐thiadiazolium hydrogen oxalate, C₂H₄N₃S⁺·C₂HO₄⁻, (I), 2‐amino‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole–succinic acid (1/2), C₂H₃N₃S·2C₄H₆O₄, (II), 2‐amino‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole–glutaric acid (1/1), C₂H₃N₃S·C₅H₈O₄, (III), and 2‐amino‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole–adipic acid (1/1), C₂H₃N₃S·C₆H₁₀O₄, (IV), are reported and their hydrogen‐bonding patterns are compared. The hydrogen bonds are of the types N—H...O or O—H...N and are of moderate strength. In some cases, weak C—H...O interactions are also present. Compound (II) differs from the others not only in the molar ratio of base and acid (1:2), but also in its hydrogen‐bonding pattern, which is based on chain motifs. In (I), (III) and (IV), the most prominent feature is the presence of an R₂²(8) graph‐set motif formed by N—H...O and O—H...N hydrogen bonds, which are present in all structures except for (I), where only a pair of N—H...O hydrogen bonds is present, in agreement with the greater acidity of oxalic acid. There are nonbonding S...O interactions present in all four structures. The difference electron‐density maps show a lack of electron density about the S atom along the S...O vector. In all four structures, the carboxylic acid H atoms are present in a rare configuration with a C—C—O—H torsion angle of ∼0°. In the structures of (II)–(IV), the C—C—O—H torsion angle of the second carboxylic acid group has the more common value of ∼|180|°. The dicarboxylic acid molecules are situated on crystallographic inversion centres in (II). The Raman and IR spectra of the title compounds are presented and analysed.     

Hydrogen bonding in 4‐nitrobenzene‐1,2‐diamine and two hydrohalide salts

The structures of 4‐nitrobenzene‐1,2‐diamine [C₆H₇N₃O₂, (I)], 2‐amino‐5‐nitroanilinium chloride [C₆H₈N₃O₂⁺·Cl⁻, (II)] and 2‐amino‐5‐nitroanilinium bromide monohydrate [C₆H₈N₃O₂⁺·Br⁻·H₂O, (III)] are reported and their hydrogen‐bonded structures described. The amine group para to the nitro group in (I) adopts an approximately planar geometry, whereas the meta amine group is decidedly pyramidal. In the hydrogen halide salts (II) and (III), the amine group meta to the nitro group is protonated. Compound (I) displays a pleated‐sheet hydrogen‐bonded two‐dimensional structure with R₂²(14) and R₄⁴(20) rings. The sheets are joined by additional hydrogen bonds, resulting in a three‐dimensional extended structure. Hydrohalide salt (II) has two formula units in the asymmetric unit that are related by a pseudo‐inversion center. The dominant hydrogen‐bonding interactions involve the chloride ion and result in R₄²(8) rings linked to form a ladder‐chain structure. The chains are joined by N—H...Cl and N—H...O hydrogen bonds to form sheets parallel to (010). In hydrated hydrohalide salt (III), bromide ions are hydrogen bonded to amine and ammonium groups to form R₄²(8) rings. The water behaves as a double donor/single acceptor and, along with the bromide anions, forms hydrogen bonds involving the nitro, amine, and ammonium groups. The result is sheets parallel to (001) composed of alternating R₅⁵(15) and R₆⁴(24) rings. Ammonium N—H...Br interactions join the sheets to form a three‐dimensional extended structure. Energy‐minimized structures obtained using DFT and MP2 calculations are consistent with the solid‐state structures. Consistent with (II) and (III), calculations show that protonation of the amine group meta to the nitro group results in a structure that is about 1.5 kJ mol⁻¹ more stable than that obtained by protonation of the para‐amine group. DFT calculations on single molecules and hydrogen‐bonded pairs of molecules based on structural results obtained for (I) and for 3‐nitrobenzene‐1,2‐diamine, (IV) [Betz & Gerber (2011). Acta Cryst. E 67 , o1359] were used to estimate the strength of the N—H...O(nitro) interactions for three observed motifs. The hydrogen‐bonding interaction between the pairs of molecules examined was found to correspond to 20–30 kJ mol⁻¹.     

Statistically disordered short hydrogen bonds in (pipzH2)(cdoH)2 and a comparison with (pipzH2)(cdo)·H2O (pipz is piperazine and cdoH2 is chelidonic acid)

Two related proton‐transfer compounds, namely piperazine‐1,4‐diium 4‐oxo‐4H‐pyran‐2,6‐dicarboxylate monohydrate, C₄H₁₂N₂²⁺·C₇H₂O₆²⁻·H₂O or (pipzH₂)(cdo)·H₂O, (I), and piperazine‐1,4‐diium bis(6‐carboxy‐4‐oxo‐4H‐pyran‐2‐carboxylate), C₄H₁₂N₂²⁺·2C₇H₃O₆⁻ or (pipzH₂)(cdoH)₂, (II), were obtained by the reaction of 4‐oxo‐4H‐pyran‐2,6‐dicarboxylic acid (chelidonic acid, cdoH₂) and piperazine (pipz). In (I), both carboxyl H atoms of chelidonic acid have been transferred to piperazine to form the piperazine‐1,4‐diium ion. The structure is a monohydrate. All potential N—H donors are involved in N—H...O hydrogen bonds. The water molecule spans two anions via the 4‐oxo group of the pyranose ring and a carboxylate O atom. The hydrogen‐bonding motif is essentially two‐dimensional. The structure is a pseudomerohedral twin. In the asymmetric unit of (II), the anion consists of monodeprotonated chelidonic acid, while the piperazine‐1,4‐diium cation is located on an inversion centre. The single carboxyl H atom is disordered in two respects. Firstly, the disordered H atom is shared equally by both carboxylic acid groups. Secondly, the H atom is statistically disordered between two positions on either side of a centre of symmetry and is engaged in a very short hydrogen‐bonding interaction; the relevant O...O distances are 2.4549 (11) and 2.4395 (11) Å, and the O—H...O angles are 177 (6) and 177 (5)°, respectively. Further hydrogen bonding of the type N—H...O places the (pipzH₂)²⁺ cations in pockets formed by the chains of (cdoH)⁻ anions. In contrast with (I), the (pipzH₂)²⁺ cations form hydrogen‐bonding arrays that are perpendicular to the anions, yielding a three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonding motif. The structures of both (I) and (II) also feature π–π stacking interactions between aromatic rings.     

Reduction of Hydrogen Ions on a Platinum Electrode from a Nonbuffered Solution under the Concentration and Activation Polarization

The reduction of hydrogen ions from a nonbuffered solution (0.5 M NaClO₄) on a smooth platinum electrode is studied by recording polarization curves and making numerical calculations. Under a concentration and activation polarization H₃O⁺ undergoes reduction at pH 2–4. At pH < 2, no limiting current of the H₃O⁺ reduction is reached due to the mass transfer intensification caused by gas evolution. At pH > 4, ions H₃O⁺ are spent for the reduction of molecular oxygen.     

The hydrogen‐bonded complex bis(tert‐butylammonium) 2,6‐dichlorophenolate 2,4‐dichlorophenol–2,4‐dichlorophenolate tetrahydrofuran disolvate containing a chiral R53(10) hydrogen‐bonded ring as a supramolecular synthon

A fixed hydrogen‐bonding motif with a high probability of occurring when appropriate functional groups are involved is described as a `supramolecular hydrogen‐bonding synthon'. The identification of these synthons may enable the prediction of accurate crystal structures. The rare chiral hydrogen‐bonding motif R₅³(10) was observed previously in a cocrystal of 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol, 2,4‐dichlorophenol and dicyclohexylamine. In the title solvated salt, 2C₄H₁₂N⁺·C₆H₃Cl₂O⁻·(C₆H₃Cl₂O⁻·C₆H₄Cl₂O)·2C₄H₈O, five components, namely two tert‐butylammonium cations, one 2,4‐dichlorophenol molecule, one 2,4‐dichlorophenolate anion and one 2,6‐dichlorophenolate anion, are bound by N—H…O and O—H…O hydrogen bonds to form a hydrogen‐bonded ring, with the graph‐set motif R₅³(10), which is further associated with two pendant tetrahydrofuran molecules by N—H…O hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen‐bonded ring has internal symmetry, with a twofold axis running through the centre of the 2,6‐dichlorophenolate anion, and is isostructural with a previous and related structure formed from 2,4‐dichlorophenol, dicyclohexylamine and 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol. In the title crystal, helical columns are built by the alignment and twisting of the chiral hydrogen‐bonded rings, along and across the c axis, and successive pairs of rings are associated with each other through C—H…π interactions. Neighbouring helical columns are inversely related and, therefore, no chirality is sustained, in contrast to the previous case.     

Synthon preference in a hydrated β‐resorcylic acid structure and its cocrystal with thymine

Multicomponent crystals or cocrystals play a significant role in crystal engineering, the main objective of which is to understand the role of intermolecular interactions and to utilize such understanding in the design of novel crystal structures. Molecules possessing carboxylic acid and amide functional groups are good candidates for forming cocrystals. β‐Resorcylic acid monohydrate, C₇H₆O₄·H₂O, (I), crystallizes in the triclinic space group P with one β‐resorcylic acid molecule and one water molecule in the asymmetric unit. The cocrystal thymine–β‐resorcylic acid–water (1/1/1), C₅H₆N₂O₂·C₇H₆O₄·H₂O, (II), crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pca2₁, with one molecule each of thymine, β‐resorcylic acid and water in the asymmetric unit. All available donor and acceptor atoms in (I) and (II) are utilized for hydrogen bonding. The acid and amide functional groups are well known for the formation of self‐complementary acid–acid and amide–amide homosynthons. In (I), an acid–acid homosynthon is observed, while in (II), an amide–acid heterosynthon is present. In (I), the β‐resorcylic acid molecule exhibits the expected intramolecular S(6) motif between the hydroxy and carbonyl O atoms, and an intermolecular R₂²(8) dimer motif between the carboxylic acid groups; only the former motif is observed in (II). The water solvent molecule in (I) propagates the discrete dimers into two‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded sheets. In (II), thymine and β‐resorcylic acid molecules do not form self‐complementary amide–amide and acid–acid homosynthons; instead, a thymine–β‐resorcylic acid heterosynthon is observed. With the help of the water molecule, this heterosynthon is aggregated into a three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded network. The absence of thymine base pairing in (II) might be linked to the availability of additional functional groups and the preference of the donor and acceptor hydrogen‐bond combinations.     

1‐(2‐Cyclohex‐2‐enylpropionyl)‐3‐methylurea, 2‐ethyl‐5‐methylhexanamide and 2‐ethylpentanamide: three products of barbiturate decomposition

The three title compounds were obtained by reactions which mimic, with more extreme conditions, the in vivo metabolism of barbiturates. 1‐(2‐Cyclohex‐2‐enylpropionyl)‐3‐methylurea, C₁₁H₁₈N₂O₂, (I), and 2‐ethylpentanamide, C₈H₁₇NO, (III), both crystallize with two unique molecules in the asymmetric unit; in the case of (III), one unique molecule exhibits whole‐molecule disorder. 2‐Ethyl‐5‐methylhexanamide, C₉H₁₉NO, (II), crystallizes as a fully ordered molecule with Z′ = 1. In the crystal structures, three different hydrogen‐bonding motifs are observed: in (I) a combination of R₂²(4) and R₂²(8) motifs, and in (II) and (III) a combination of R₄²(8) and R₂²(8) motifs. In all three structures, one‐dimensional ribbons are formed by N—H...O hydrogen‐bonding interactions.     

Acid-catalyzed multiple chain termination on nitroxyl radicals in H2O2-containing oxidizing ethylbenzene

An intensive chain termination has been observed in oxidizing ethylbenzene, caused by the system nitroxyl radical + hydrogen peroxide + acid. The nitroxyl radical and the acid act as inhibition catalysts, while H₂O₂ is consumed, by terminating two chains per molecule. A new mechanism has been proposed for the catalytic chain termination in the system studied. It includes protonation of >NO^., its oxidation by the peroxyl radical to >NO⁺, reduction of the latter by H₂O₂ to >NOH, and the reaction of RO ₂ ^. with >NOH with regeneration of >NO^.. Kinetic estimations have been obtained for the individual stages of the complex inhibition process.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimiya, No. 4, pp. 738–743, April, 1990.     

Three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded structures in the hydrated proton‐transfer salts of isonipecotamide with the dicarboxylic oxalic and adipic acid homologues

The structures of the 1:1 hydrated proton‐transfer compounds of isonipecotamide (piperidine‐4‐carboxamide) with oxalic acid, 4‐carbamoylpiperidinium hydrogen oxalate dihydrate, C₆H₁₃N₂O⁺·C₂HO₄⁻·2H₂O, (I), and with adipic acid, bis(4‐carbamoylpiperidinium) adipate dihydrate, 2C₆H₁₃N₂O⁺·C₆H₈O₄²⁻·2H₂O, (II), are three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded constructs involving several different types of enlarged water‐bridged cyclic associations. In the structure of (I), the oxalate monoanions give head‐to‐tail carboxylic acid O—H...O_carboxyl hydrogen‐bonding interactions, forming C(5) chain substructures which extend along a. The isonipecotamide cations also give parallel chain substructures through amide N—H...O hydrogen bonds, the chains being linked across b and down c by alternating water bridges involving both carboxyl and amide O‐atom acceptors and amide and piperidinium N—H...O_carboxyl hydrogen bonds, generating cyclic R₄³(10) and R₃²(11) motifs. In the structure of (II), the asymmetric unit comprises a piperidinium cation, half an adipate dianion, which lies across a crystallographic inversion centre, and a solvent water molecule. In the crystal structure, the two inversion‐related cations are interlinked through the two water molecules, which act as acceptors in dual amide N—H...O_water hydrogen bonds, to give a cyclic R₄²(8) association which is conjoined with an R₄⁴(12) motif. Further N—H...O_water, water O—H...O_amide and piperidinium N—H...O_carboxyl hydrogen bonds give the overall three‐dimensional structure. The structures reported here further demonstrate the utility of the isonipecotamide cation as a synthon for the generation of stable hydrogen‐bonded structures. The presence of solvent water molecules in these structures is largely responsible for the non‐occurrence of the common hydrogen‐bonded amide–amide dimer, promoting instead various expanded cyclic hydrogen‐bonding motifs.     

Reduction of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide on electrodes with adsorbed monolayer of aliphatic compounds

Cathodic reduction of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide on amalgamated platinum electrodes, which are coated with monolayers of long-chain aliphatic compounds cetyl alcohol (CA) and stearic acid (SA), is retarded as compared with the same reactions on clean mercury (or amalgam) surface. The oxygen reduction kinetics differ from that on mercury. The difference is explained by that oxygen diffuses into the monolayer and is reduced in it at a certain distance from the metal surface and only at the limiting current the reaction is forced onto the monolayer surface. In contrast to the oxygen reduction, the hydrogen peroxide reduction kinetics on electrodes with SA and CA monolayers is much closer to that on mercury, but with some quantitative distinctions. All results favor the H₂O₂ reduction at the monolayer/solution interface. The difference in the behavior of O₂ and H₂O₂ is explained by different polarity of these molecules: it is significantly more difficult to penetrate the hydrocarbon monolayer for polar H₂O₂ molecule than for nonpolar O₂ molecule.     

Ab initio calculations of activation energy of the reaction of hydrogen exchange on strongly acidic centers

Ab initio calculations of fragments of the potential energy surfaces of hydrogen exchange reactions between H₂, CH₄, and alanine molecules and the H₃O⁺ ion were performed by the restricted Hartree-Fock method, at the second-order Møller-Plesset level of perturbation theory, and by the method of coupled clusters using the 6–31G^* and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets. The one-center synchronous mechanism of hydrogen exchange reaction was studied and the activation energies and structures of transition states were determined. It was found that the geometric parameters of the H₂ and CH₄ molecules in the transition states are close to those of the H₃ ⁺ and CH₅ ⁺ ions. The higher the proton affinity of the reacting molecule in the reaction studied the lower the activiation energy of hydrogen exchange. The one-center mechanism studied can be used to describe the high-temperature solid-state catalytic isotope exchange (HSCIE) reaction. The results ofab initio calculations of synchronous hydrogen exchange between the H₃O⁺ ion and hydrogen atoms in different positions of the alanine molecule are in good agreement with experimental data on the regioselectivity and stereoselectivity of the HSCIE reaction with spillover-tritium.     

Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Peroxide Production from Water on a WO3/BiVO4 Photoanode and from O2 on an Au Cathode Without External Bias

The photoelectrochemical production and degradation properties of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) were investigated on a WO₃/BiVO₄ photoanode in an aqueous electrolyte of hydrogen carbonate (HCO₃⁻). High concentrations of HCO₃⁻ species rather than CO₃²⁻ species inhibited the oxidative degradation of H₂O₂ on the WO₃/BiVO₄ photoanode, resulting in effective oxidative H₂O₂ generation and accumulation from water (H₂O). Moreover, the Au cathode facilitated two‐electron reduction of oxygen (O₂), resulting in reductive H₂O₂ production with high current efficiency. Combining the WO₃/BiVO₄ photoanode with a HCO₃⁻ electrolyte and an Au cathode also produced a clean and promising design for a photoelectrode system specializing in H₂O₂ production (η _anode(H₂O₂)≈50 %, η _cathode(H₂O₂)≈90 %) even without applied voltage between the photoanode and cathode under simulated solar light through a two‐photon process; this achieved effective H₂O₂ production when using an Au‐supported porous BiVO₄ photocatalyst sheet.     

A helical zinc(II) coordination polymer assembled from 1,3‐bis[(pyridin‐3‐yl)methoxy]benzene and benzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylic acid

In catena‐poly[[aqua[1,3‐bis(pyridine‐3‐ylmethoxy)benzene‐κN]zinc(II)]‐μ₂‐benzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylato‐κ²O¹:O⁴], [Zn(C₈H₄O₄)(C₁₈H₁₆N₂O₂)(H₂O)]_n, each Zn^II centre is tetrahedrally coordinated by two O atoms of bridging carboxylate groups from two benzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylate anions (denoted L²⁻), one O atom from a water molecule and one N atom from a 1,3‐bis[(pyridin‐3‐yl)methoxy]benzene ligand (denoted bpmb). (Aqua)O—H...N hydrogen‐bonding interactions induce the formation of one‐dimensional helical [Zn(L)(bpmb)(H₂O)]_n chains which are interlinked through (aqua)O—H...O hydrogen‐bonding interactions, producing two‐dimensional corrugated sheets.     

On the mechanism of H2O2 reduction at Prussian Blue modified electrodes

Prussian Blue deposited on the electrode surface under certain conditions is known to be a selective electrocatalyst of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) reduction in the presence of O₂. The electrocatalyst was stabilized at cathodic potentials preventing its loss from the electrode surface. Hydrodynamic voltammograms of H₂O₂ reduction indicated the transfer of two electrons per catalytic cycle. The operational stability of Prussian Blue in H₂O₂ reduction was highly dependent on the buffer capacity of the supporting electrolyte. Since Prussian Blue is known to be dissolved in alkaline solution, it was confirmed that in neutral aqueous solutions the product of H₂O₂ electrocatalytic reduction is OH⁻.