Denitrogenative Pd/Cu‐catalyzed Suzuki‐type Cross‐coupling of Aryltrifluoroborates with Arylhydrazine Hydrochlorides in Water under Room Temperature

A water‐soluble palladium‐catalyzed Suzuki‐type cross‐coupling of aryltrifluoroborates with arylhydrazide hydrochlorides was efficiently developed under mild and environmentally benign conditions, in water without any ligand. The newly developed Pd/Cu co‐catalyzed denitrogenative reaction gave a range of structurally diverse substituted biaryls with good to excellent yields, in which the byproduct was nitrogen.     

Organocatalytic Stereoselective Synthesis of 3‐Alkyl‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐oxindoles Catalyzed by Novel Water‐compatible Axially Unfixed Biaryl‐based Bifunctional Organocatalysts

In this work, six novel axially unfixed biaryl‐based water‐compatible bifunctional organocatalysts were designed and synthesized for the organocatalytic access to a variety of 3‐alkyl‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐oxindole derivatives via aldol reactions in water. Organocatalyzed by 5a , the direct aldol reactions of isatins with enolisable ketones underwent readily in water, furnishing the structurally diverse 3‐alkyl‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐oxindoles in various stereoselectivities (up to>99% dr and >99% ee). Moreover, a plausible transition state of the conducted aldol reactions was hypothesized to shed light on the observed stereoselectivities of the obtained 3‐alkyl‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐oxindoles.     

Novel Water‐Soluble Shape‐Regulatable Luminescent Nanoparticles by Non‐Covalently Bonded Self‐Assembly

Summary: Novel non‐covalently connected water‐soluble nanoparticles that contain poly(fluorene‐co‐phenylene) with hydroxy‐capped alkoxy side chains (PF3BOH) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) have been obtained and characterized. With different proportions of PF3BOH and PAA, the shape and size of the nanoparticles can be regulated. The nanoparticles are quite stable in water with no precipitate being observed after weeks. Transmission electron microscopy and dynamic laser light scattering are used to confirm the morphology of the PF3BOH/PAA nanoparticles. Their optical properties have been investigated and show similar optoelectronic properties to a PF3BOH solid film although they do not undergo aggregation.

TEM images of the nanoparticles obtained upon varying the PAA/PF3BOH content.     

Synthesis of 2‐Aryl‐1‐arylmethyl‐1H‐1,3‐benzimidazole Derivatives Using Silica‐bonded Propyl‐S‐sulfonic Acid as Recyclable Solid Acid Catalyst

A highly selective synthesis of 2‐aryl‐1‐arylmethyl‐1H‐1,3‐benzimidazoles from the reaction of o‐phenylenediamine and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of silica‐bonded propyl‐S‐sulfonic acid (SBSSA) at 80°C in water in good to excellent yields was developed.     

Band‐Structure Engineering of ZnO by Anion–Cation Co‐Doping for Enhanced Photo‐Electrochemical Activity

To look for efficient visible light‐driven catalysts for photo‐electrochemical (PEC) water‐splitting, the band structure and optical absorption of monodoped, compensated, and noncompensated n–p pairs of co‐doped bulk ZnO are systemically studied by using both general gradient approximation and hybrid density functional theory approaches (PBE and HSE). Calculations show that n–p co‐doping cannot only enhance the stability that stems from the strong electrostatic attraction between the n‐ and p‐type dopants, but also effectively reduce the band‐gap of ZnO. More importantly, compensated (Ti+C) and noncompensated (Sc+C) and (Cr+C) co‐doped ZnO may be compelling candidates for PEC water‐splitting because of their narrowed band‐gaps, potentially reduced electron–hole recombination centers, appropriate band‐edge positions, enhanced optical absorption, and good stability.     

Ultra‐small sugar‐substituted N‐heterocyclic carbene‐protected palladium nanoparticles and catalytic activity

Ultra‐small Pd nanoparticles (UNPs) represent a distinctive type of nanomaterial making them very attractive for a range of applications. Herein, chiral sugar‐substituted N‐heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) with various lengths of alkyl chain (sugar‐NHCs‐ⁿC_nH_2n+1) were first used to prepare water‐soluble Pd@NHCs‐sugar UNPs via an efficient ligand‐exchange strategy, which can be handled under air and are stable over 10 months. The Pd@NHCs‐sugar UNPs were highly monodisperse, with tunable core diameters from 1.7 to 2.1 nm, and an effect of the particle size on the N‐substituted aliphatic chains was observed. To investigate the accessibility of the surface, the Pd@NHCs‐sugar UNPs were studied as catalysts for C–C coupling reaction in eco‐friendly ethanol aqueous solution without any precipitation of metallic Pd. The presence of the longest aliphatic group in the Pd@NHCs‐sugar UNPs imparts to them the highest catalyst activity (turnover number and turnover frequency up to 196 000 and 3 920 000 h^?1).     

CO2‐promoted Water‐medium Ullmann Reaction over a Pd/Phenyl‐SBA‐15 Mesoporous Catalyst

Water‐medium Ullmann reaction was carried out in CO₂ atmosphere over the mesoporous Pd/Ph‐SBA‐15 catalyst exhibiting high activity and selectivity owing to the uniform dispersion of Pd particles and hydrophobilic mesoporous channels which facilitate the diffusion and adsorption of organic molecules, especially in an aqueous medium. The CO₂ also shows promoting effect on activity and selectivity, which could be understood by considering the role of H⁺ in the mechanism of Ullmann reaction. The optimum Ph‐Ph yield (84.0%) was obtained at p=0.8 MPa and V=6.0 mL and could remain almost unchanged even after the catalyst has been used repetitively for 5 times.     

Water‐Promoted Kinetic Separation of trans‐ and cis‐Limonene Oxides

The efficient hydrolytic kinetic separation of trans/cis‐(R)‐(+)‐limonene oxides was realized in a 1:1 mixed solvent of water and 1,4‐dioxane without additional catalyst. Optically pure trans‐(R)‐(+)‐limonene oxide was recovered in high yield (77%).     

Density functional study of hydrogen‐bonded acetonitrile–water complex

We report the interaction of acetonitrile with one, two, and three water molecules using the Density Functional Theory method and the 6‐31+G* basis set. Different conformers were studied and the most stable conformer of acetonitrile–(water)_n complex has total energies –209.1922504, –285.6224478, and –362.068728 hartrees with one, two, and three water molecules, respectively. The corresponding binding energy for these three structures is 4.52, 8.34, and 22.48 kcal/mol. The hydrogen‐bonding results in blue, blue, and redshift in C?N stretching mode in acetonitrile with one, two, and three water molecules, respectively, whereas there was a redshift in O? H symmetric stretching mode of water. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

An Efficient Copper‐Catalyzed One‐Pot Synthesis of 1‐Aryl‐1,2,3‐triazoles from Arylboronic Acids in Water under Mild Conditions

A convenient method for one‐pot two‐step 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditon reaction of arylboronic acid, sodium azide followed with terminal alkynes in the presence of 2‐pyrrolecarbaldiminato‐Cu(II) complexes catalyst is reported. Various 1‐aryl‐1,2,3‐triazoles were prepared in 63%–97% yields in water at 30°C without any additives and avoiding the isolation of unstable aryl azides.     

Water‐soluble 2‐arylnaphthoxazole‐derived palladium (II) complexes as phosphine‐free catalysts for the Suzuki reaction in aqueous solvent

Two water‐soluble palladium (II) complexes 2 and 4 have been synthesized from easily available 2‐arylnaphthoxazole derivatives. They were successfully applied to the Suzuki coupling of aryl bromides with phenylboronic acid in water at 100 °C under phosphine‐free conditions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

pH‐Switchable Self‐Assembled Materials

Self‐assembled materials, which are able to respond to external stimuli, have been extensively studied over the last decades. A particularly exciting stimulus for a wide range of biomedical applications is the pH value of aqueous solutions, since deprotonation‐protonation events are crucial for structural and functional properties of biopolymers. In living cells and tissues, intra‐ and extracellular pH values are stringently regulated, but can deviate from pH neutral as observed for example in tumorous, inflammatory sites, in endocytic pathways, and specific cellular compartments. By using a pH‐switch as a stimulus, it is thereby possible to address specific targets in order to cause a programmed response of the supramolecular material. This strategy has not only been successfully applied in fundamental research but also in clinical studies. In this feature article, current strategies that have been used in order to design materials with pH‐responsive properties are illustrated. This discussion only addresses selected examples from the last four years, the self‐assembly of polymer‐based building blocks, assemblies emerging from small molecules including surfactants or derived from biological macromolecules, and finally the controlled self‐assembly of oligopeptides.

     

Preparation of oligoamide‐ended poly(ethylene glycol) and hydrogen‐bonding‐assisted formation of aggregates and nanoscale fibers

An oligoamide‐ended poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with a PEG weight‐average molecular weight of 5000 (PEG‐5000‐oligoamide), with 3,5‐bis‐[2‐(5‐acetylamino‐2‐isobutoxy‐benzoylamino)‐acetylamino]‐benzoyl as the oligoamide, was synthesized. PEG‐5000‐oligoamide aggregated in chloroform or toluene via hydrogen‐bonding interactions among the oligoamide strands as a core and PEG, which was soluble in the solvents, as a shell. When a chloroform solution of PEG‐5000‐oligoamide at a concentration of approximately 0.06 g/L was cast onto a silicon wafer or a mica plate, rapid solvent evaporation induced its self reassembly as nanofibers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 1119–1128, 2005     

Water adsorption on the surface of Ni‐ and Co‐based layer‐structured cathode materials for lithium‐ion batteries

Ni‐based layer‐structured cathode materials are more vulnerable to moisture than conventional LiCoO₂ cathodes, adsorbing more water and easily forming LiOH on the surface. This study investigated the moisture adsorption mechanism on the surface of layer‐structured cathodes. The behavior of water molecules on LiCoO₂ and LiNiO₂ surfaces were simulated and the structural and chemical changes during the adsorption process were analyzed by first‐principles methods. It was found that the adsorption occurs via two types of mechanism: one involving ionic interactions between Li on the crystal surface and O in the adsorbate, and the other involving covalent bonding between the transition metal (TM) on the surface and O in the adsorbate, which restores the coordination of the TM by recovering its broken bonds. The difference between the water adsorption behaviors of Ni‐based and Co‐based layer‐structured cathodes was found to be mainly due to the ionic‐interaction‐driven adsorption on the (003) surface.     

1,2,3-三氮杂苯－(水)3复合物多体相互作用

The interaction between 1,2,3-triazine and three water molecules was studied using density functional theory B3LYP method at 6-31-t＋＋G^＊＊ basis set. Various structures for 1,2,3-triazine-（water）n （n= 1, 2, 3） complex were investigated and the different lower energy structures were reported. Many-body analysis was also carded out to obtain relaxation energy and many-body interaction energy （two, three, and four-body）, and the most stable conformer has the basis set superposition error corrected interaction energy of -- 102.61 kJ/mol. The relaxation energy, two- and three-body interactions have significant contribution to the total interaction energy whereas four-body interaction was very small for 1,2,3-triazine-（water）3 complex.     

Side‐chain polypseudorotaxanes by threading cucurbit[7]uril onto poly‐N‐n‐butyl‐N′‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐4,4′‐bipyridinium bromide chloride: Synthesis,characterization, and properties

A novel side‐chain polypseudorotaxanes P4VBVBu/CB[7] was synthesized from poly‐N‐n‐butyl‐N′‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐4,4′‐bipyridinium bromide chloride (P4VBVBu) and cucurbit [7]uril (CB[7]) in water by simple stirring at room temperature. CB[7] beads are localized on viologen units in side chains of polypseudorotaxanes as shown by ¹H NMR, IR, XRD, and UV–vis studies, and it is considered that the hydrophobic and charge‐dipole interactions are the driving forces. TGA data show that thermal stability of the polypseudorotaxanes increases with the adding of CB[7] threaded. DLS data show that P4VBVBu and CB[7] could form polypseudorotaxanes, and the average hydrodynamic radius of the polypseudorotaxanes increases with increasing the concentration of CB[7]. The typical cyclic voltammograms indicate that the oxidation reduction characteristic of P4VBVBu is remarkably affected by the addition of CB[7] because of the formation of polypseudorotaxanes and the shielding effects of CB[7] threaded on the viologen units of polypseudorotaxanes. With the increase of the concentration of KBr or K₂SO₄, the formation of the polypseudorotaxanes was inhibited due to the shielding effects of both Br^? or SO to viologen ion and K⁺ to CB[7] by UV–vis. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2135–2142, 2010     

Phase behavior study of poly(N‐tertbutylacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide) in the mixture of water–methanol: The role of polymer–nonsolvent second‐order interactions

The phase behavior of poly(N‐tertbutylacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide) (PNTBAM) in pure water and mixture of water–methanol is studied at different temperatures. The different compositions of PNTBAM are prepared by free‐radical polymerization technique and their phase behavior is studied by turbidimetry. The effects of copolymer and solvent composition on the phase behavior of the copolymers are discussed. It has been suggested that the inhomogenities in polymer chains are responsible for lowering the rate of phase transition by increasing the N‐tertbutylacrylamide (NTBAM) and methanol contents in copolymer and mixture, respectively. For the first time we have revealed that there are second‐order binary interactions in the water–methanol which are dominant in the special range of copolymer composition. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 455–462, 2009     

Synthesis,crystal structures and anti‐inflammatory activity of fluorine‐substituted 1,4,5,6‐tetrahydrobenzo[h]quinazolin‐2‐amine derivatives

Two fluorine‐substituted 1,4,5,6‐tetrahydrobenzo[h]quinazolin‐2‐amine (BQA) derivatives, namely 2‐amino‐4‐(2‐fluorophenyl)‐9‐methoxy‐1,4,5,6‐tetrahydrobenzo[h]quinazolin‐3‐ium chloride, ( 8 ), and 2‐amino‐4‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐9‐methoxy‐1,4,5,6‐tetrahydrobenzo[h]quinazolin‐3‐ium chloride, ( 9 ), both C₁₉H₁₉FN₃O⁺·Cl^?, were generated by Michael addition reactions between guanidine hydrochloride and the α,β‐unsaturated ketones (E)‐2‐(2‐fluorobenzylidene)‐7‐methoxy‐3,4‐dihydronaphthalen‐1(2H)‐one, C₁₈H₁₅FO₂, ( 6 ), and (E)‐2‐(4‐fluorobenzylidene)‐7‐methoxy‐3,4‐dihydronaphthalen‐1(2H)‐one, ( 7 ). Because both sides of α,β‐unsaturated ketones ( 6 ) or ( 7 ) can be attacked by guanidine, we obtained a pair of isomers in ( 8 ) and ( 9 ). Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction indicates that each isomer has a chiral C atom and both ( 8 ) and ( 9 ) crystallize in the achiral space group P2₁/c. The chloride ion, as a hydrogen‐bond acceptor, plays an important role in the formation of multiple hydrogen bonds. Thus, adjacent molecules are connected through intermolecular hydrogen bonds to generate a banded structure. Furthermore, these bands are linked into an interesting 3D network via hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions. Fortunately, the solubilities of ( 8 ) and ( 9 ) were distinctly improved and can exceed 50 mg ml^?1 in water or PBS buffer system (pH 7.4) at room temperature. In addition, the results of an investigation of anti‐inflammatory activity show that ( 8 ) and ( 9 ), with o‐ and p‐fluoro substituents, respectively, display more potential for inhibitory effects on LPS‐induced NO secretion than starting ketones ( 6 ) and ( 7 ).     

Performance of density‐functional tight‐binding models in describing hydrogen‐bonded anionic‐water clusters

Density‐functional tight‐binding (DFTB) models are computationally efficient approximations to density‐functional theory that have been shown to predict reliable structural and energetic properties for various systems. In this work, the reliability and accuracy of the self‐consistent‐charge DFTB model and its recent extension(s) in predicting the structures, binding energies, charge distributions, and vibrational frequencies of small water clusters containing polyatomic anions of the Hofmeister series (carbonate, sulfate, hydrogen phosphate, acetate, nitrate, perchlorate, and thiocyanate) have been carefully and systematically evaluated on the basis of high‐level ab initio quantum‐chemistry [MP2/aug‐cc‐pVTZ and CCSD(T)/aug‐cc‐pVQZ] reference data. Comparison with available experimental data has also been made for further validation. The self‐consistent‐charge DFTB model, and even more so its recent extensions, are shown to properly account for the structural properties, energetics, intermolecular polarization, and spectral signature of hydrogen‐bonding in anionic water clusters at a fraction of the computational cost of ab initio quantum‐chemistry methods. This makes DFTB models candidates of choice for investigating much larger systems such as seeded water droplets, their structural properties, formation thermodynamics, and infrared spectra. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Metal–organic framework based in‐syringe solid‐phase extraction for the on‐site sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water samples

In‐syringe solid‐phase extraction is a promising sample pretreatment method for the on‐site sampling of water samples because of its outstanding advantages of portability, simple operation, short extraction time, and low cost. In this work, a novel in‐syringe solid‐phase extraction device using metal–organic frameworks as the adsorbent was fabricated for the on‐site sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental waters. Trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were effectively extracted through the self‐made device followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis. Owing to the excellent adsorption performance of metal–organic frameworks, the analytes could be completely adsorbed during one adsorption cycle, thus effectively shortening the extraction time. Moreover, the adsorbed analytes could remain stable on the device for at least 7 days, revealing the potential of the self‐made device for on‐site sampling of degradable compounds in remote regions. The limit of detection ranged from 0.20 to 1.9 ng/L under the optimum conditions. Satisfactory recoveries varying from 84.4 to 104.5% and relative standard deviations below 9.7% were obtained in real samples analysis. The results of this study promote the application of metal–organic frameworks in sample preparation and demonstrate the great potential of in‐syringe solid‐phase extraction for the on‐site sampling of trace contaminants in environmental waters.