Graphs are (1,Δ+1)-choosable

A graph $G$ is $(k,k^{\prime })$-choosable if the following holds: For any list assignment $L$ which assigns to each vertex $v$ a set $L\left(v\right)$ of $k$ real numbers, and assigns to each edge $e$ a set $L\left(e\right)$ of $k^{\prime }$ real numbers, there is a total weighting $?:V\left(G\right)\cup E\left(G\right)\to R$ such that $?\left(z\right)\in L\left(z\right)$ for $z\in V\cup E$, and ${\sum }_{e\in E\left(u\right)}?\left(e\right)+?\left(u\right)\ne {\sum }_{e\in E\left(v\right)}?\left(e\right)+?\left(v\right)$ for every edge $uv$. This paper proves that if $G$ is a connected graph of maximum degree $\Delta \ge 2$, then $G$ is $(1,\Delta +1)$-choosable.     

Electrophilic fluoroalkylthiolation induced diastereoselective and stereospecific 1,2-metalate migration of alkenylboronate complexes

A transition metal free process for conjunctive functionalization of alkenylboron ate-complexes with electrophilic fluoroalkylthiolating reagents is described, affording β-trifluoroalkylthiolated and difluoroalkylthiolated boronic esters in good yield and excellent diastereoselectivity. The potential applicability of the method was demonstrated by the preparation of a difluoromethylthiolated mimic 12 of a potential drug molecule PF-4191834 for the treatment of asthma.

A transition metal free process for conjunctive functionalization of alkenylboron ate-complexes with electrophilic fluoroalkylthiolating reagents affords β-tri- and difluoroalkylthiolated boronic esters in good yield and diastereoselectivity.

An electrophile-induced 1,2-metalate migration of an alkenylboron “ate” complex and subsequent base-promoted β-elimination to form a functionalized cis-alkene, now the so-called Zweifel reaction, was first reported by Zweifel and co-workers in 1967 (Fig. 1A).^1–3 The reaction was proposed to proceed via an initial attack of the π electron of the alkene moiety to iodine to generate a zwitterionic iodonium ion, which then undergoes a stereospecific 1,2-metalate to afford a β-iodoboronic ester, followed by anti-elimination upon treatment with a base to afford a cis-olefin. Thus, if the iodine is replaced by an alternative electrophilic reagent and the use of a base is omitted, an interrupted-Zweifel reaction for the preparation of a stereospecific β-functionalized boronic ester could be realized. Toward this end, Aggarwal reported the first example of such a reaction by employing PhSeCl as the electrophilic reagent.⁴ It was proposed that PhSeCl first reacts with an alkenylboronate complex to form a zwitterionic seleniranium ion. Subsequent diastereospecific 1,2-metalate migration affords the stereospecific β-seleno-alkylboronate (Fig. 1B). Likewise, shortly after, Denmark and co-workers reported an analogous Lewis-base catalysed enantioselective and diastereoselective carbosulfenylation of an alkenylboronate complex using N-arylthiosaccharin as the electrophile (Fig. 1C).⁵Open in a separate windowFig. 1The interrupted Zweifel reaction.In light of these discoveries and our recent success in the development of a toolbox of electrophilic fluoroalkylthiolating reagents including three trifluoromethylthiolating reagents α-cumyltrifluoromethane sulfenate,⁶N-trifluoromethylthio-saccharin⁷ and N-trifluoromethylthiodibenzenesulfonimide,⁸ and two difluoromethylthiolating reagents N-difluoromethylthiophthalimide⁹ and S-(difluoromethyl)benzenesulfonothioate,¹⁰ we wondered whether these electrophilic fluoroalkylthiolating reagents could also trigger the proposed stereospecific 1,2-metalatation of the alkenylboronate complex to afford β-fluoroalkylthiolated borane derivatives (Fig. 1D). The trifluoromethylthio (–SCF₃) and the difluoromethylthio (–SCF₂H) groups have gained great attention recently, partially because of their high and tuneable lipophilicity¹¹ that might improve the drug candidate''s cell membrane permeability and consequently, its overall pharmacokinetics.¹² Thus, the development of new efficient reactions for the incorporation of the trifluoromethylthio¹³ or difluoromethylthio groups¹⁴ would be of vital importance in facilitating medicinal chemists'' endeavours in new drug discovery. Herein, we report that by employing electrophilic difluoromethylthiolating reagent PhSO₂SCF₂H 2a as the electrophile, the proposed difluoromethylthiolating induced stereospecific 1,2-metalate migration of alkenyl boronate complexes occurred smoothly to afford β-difluoromethylthiolated boronic esters in good yields and excellent diastereoselectivity. Likewise, when electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagent N-trifluoromethylthiosaccharin 7 was used, an analogous reaction for the diastereoselective formation of β-trifluoromethylthiolated boronic esters was successfully achieved.We began our study by examining the reaction of the electrophilic difluoromethylthiolating reagent 2a with the alkenylboronate complex which was generated in situ by mixing 1a and PhLi in diethyl ether. It was found that the reaction in CH₃CN occurred in full conversion after 12 hours at room temperature, affording the corresponding product 3a in 53% yield (Table 1, entry 1). When the amount of PhLi was increased to 1.3 equivalents, the yield was increased to 76%, while the yield decreased to 66% when 2.0 equivalents of PhLi were used, likely due to the decomposition of the product under strong basic conditions (Table 1, entries 1–5). We then further investigated the effect of the reaction temperature and the solvent. It was found that the temperature did not affect the reaction significantly since the yields of the desired products were decreased slightly to 72% and 70%, respectively, when the reactions were conducted at 0 °C or −15 °C (Table 1, entries 6 and 7). Likewise, the reaction was not sensitive to the polarity of the solvent since reactions conducted in less polar solvents such as THF or CH₂Cl₂ or nonpolar solvents like toluene occurred in slightly lower 60–73% yields (Table 1, entries 9–11). We also found that reaction using N-difluoromethylthiophthalimide as the electrophilic difluoromethylthiolating reagent gave the same product in a slightly lower yield (Table 1, entry 8).Optimization of conditions for the reaction of the alkenyl boronate complex with PhSO₂SCF₂H^a

Chiral cyclic [n]spirobifluorenylenes: carbon nanorings consisting of helically arranged quaterphenyl rods illustrating partial units of woven patterns

Chiral cyclic [n]spirobifluorenylenes consisting of helically arranged quaterphenyl rods, illustrating partial units of woven patterns, were designed and synthesized as a new family of carbon nanorings. The synthesis was accomplished by the Ni(0)-mediated Yamamoto-coupling of chiral spirobifluorene building blocks. The structures of the cyclic 3-, 4-, and 5-mers were determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. These carbon nanorings exhibited a strong violet colored emission with high quantum yields in solution (95%, 93%, and 94% for 3-, 4-, and 5-mer, respectively). Other spectroscopic properties, including their chiroptical properties, were also investigated. The g-values for circularly polarized luminescence were found to be in the order of 10⁻³. Characteristic spiroconjugation induced by multiple (≧3) bifluorenyl units, for example the even-odd effect of the number of units in the matching of the signs of the orbitals, was also indicated by DFT calculations.

Chiral cyclic [n]spirobifluorenylenes consisting of helically arranged quaterphenyl rods, illustrating partial units of woven patterns, were designed and synthesized as a new family of carbon nanorings.     

Theoretical study on the aggregation-induced emission mechanism of anthryl-tetraphenylethene

Since the concept of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) was proposed by Benzhong Tang's research group in 2001, the exploration of the mechanism of AIE and the development of new high-performance AIE materials have been the focus and goal of this field. On the basis of a large number of experiment results, AIE mechanism has been well explained by lots of works, such as restricted intramolecular motion (RIM), J-aggregate et al. As tetraphenylethlene (TPE) molecules are stacked, the rotation of the benzene ring rotor is blocked, and the energy attenuation is released in the form of radiation, showing the AIE effect. In order to further explore the AIE effect of TPE, we performed electronic structure, spectrum simulation, and AIE mechanism calculations of the anthryl-tetraphenylethene (TPE-an) monomer and dimer in the gas phase, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and aqueous solutions at the B3LYP/6-31G** level. The calculation results show that TPE-an molecule is in a propeller-like configuration, and its fluorescence intensity is weak; compared with the monomer, the fluorescence intensity of the dimer increases by 87% in aqueous solution; the fluorescence intensity in the gas phase, THF solution, and aqueous solution gradually enhances with the increase of the degree of aggregation, which are consistent with the experimental results. The enhancement of fluorescence intensity is caused by the change of molecular structure caused by aggregation. This detailed AIE luminescence mechanism will provide theoretical guidance for AIE material design.     

An amino trimethylene phosphonic acid-based chelated boric acid complex that works as a synergistic flame retardant for enhancing the flame retardancy of cotton fabrics

The chelating ligands of boric acid and amino trimethyl phosphonate prepared a novel flame retardant (BAP) for the cotton fabric. A stable chemical and coordination bond was formed on the surface of the cotton fibers by a simple three-curing finishing process to make the fabric exhibits excellent durable flame retardancy. Cotton fabrics' tensile strength and whiteness got substantially retained after BAP treatment. 90 g/L BAP-treated samples (3 curing times, 50 laundry cycles) showed good flame retardancy and durability, holding the largest limit oxygen index, 29.7%, and the shortest damage length, 61 mm. A condensed phase and gas phase synergistic flame retardant mechanism was concluded by thermogravimetric, cone calorimeter tests, and thermogravimetric infrared analysis.     

Comprehensive H2O Molecules Regulation via Deep Eutectic Solvents for Ultra-Stable Zinc Metal Anode

The corrosion, parasitic reactions, and aggravated dendrite growth severely restrict development of aqueous Zn metal batteries. Here, we report a novel strategy to break the hydrogen bond network between water molecules and construct the Zn(TFSI)₂-sulfolane-H₂O deep eutectic solvents. This strategy cuts off the transfer of protons/hydroxides and inhibits the activity of H₂O, as reflected in a much lower freezing point (<−80 °C), a significantly larger electrochemical stable window (>3 V), and suppressed evaporative water from electrolytes. Stable Zn plating/stripping for over 9600 h was obtained. Based on experimental characterizations and theoretical simulations, it has been proved that sulfolane can effectively regulate solvation shell and simultaneously build the multifunctional Zn-electrolyte interface. Moreover, the multi-layer homemade modular cell and 1.32 Ah pouch cell further confirm its prospect for practical application.     

Synthesis and Optoelectronic Applications of dπ–pπ Conjugated Polymers with a Di-metallaaromatic Acceptor

The development of conjugated polymers especially n-type polymer semiconductors is powered by the design and synthesis of electron-deficient building blocks. Herein, a strong acceptor building block with di-metallaaromatic structure was designed and synthesized by connecting two electron-deficient metallaaromatic units through a π-conjugated bridge. Then, a double-monomer polymerization methodology was developed for inserting it into conjugated polymer scaffolds to yield metallopolymers. The isolated well-defined model oligomers indicated polymer structures. Kinetic studies based on nuclear magnetic resonance and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopies shed light on the polymerization process. Interestingly, the resulted metallopolymers with d_π–p_π conjugations are very promising electron transport layer materials which can boost photovoltaic performance of an organic solar cell, with power conversion efficiency up to 18.28 % based on the PM6 : EH-HD-4F non-fullerene system. This work not only provides a facile route to construct metallaaromatic conjugated polymers with various functional groups, but also discovers their potential applications for the first time.     

Hybrid Double Perovskite Derived Halides Based on Bi and Alkali Metals (K,Rb): Diverse Structures,Tunable Optical Properties and Second Harmonic Generation Responses

Double perovskites (DP) have attracted extensive attention due to their rich structures and wide application prospects in the field of optoelectronics. Here, we report 15 new Bi-based double perovskite derived halides with the general formula of A₂BBiX₆ (A=organic cationic ligand, B=K or Rb, X=Br or I). These materials are synthesized using organic ligands to coordinate with metal ions with a sp³ oxygen, and diverse structure types have been obtained with distinct dimensionalities and connectivity modes. The optical band gaps of these phases can be tuned by changing the halide, the organic ligand and the alkali metal, varying from 2.0 to 2.9 eV. The bromide phases exhibit increasing photoluminescence (PL) intensity with decreasing temperature, while the PL intensity of iodide phases changes nonmonotonically with temperature. Because the majority of these phases are non-centrosymmetric, second harmonic generation (SHG) responses are also measured for selected non-centrosymmetric materials, showing different particle-size-dependent trends. Our findings give rise to a series of new structural types to the DP family, and provide a powerful synthetic handle for symmetry breaking.     

Boosting Charge Transport in a 2D/3D Perovskite Heterostructure by Selecting an Ordered 2D Perovskite as the Passivator

We demonstrate that an ordered 2D perovskite can significantly boost the photoelectric performance of 2D/3D perovskite heterostructures. Using selective fluorination of phenyl-ethyl ammonium (PEA) lead iodide to passivate 3D FA_0.8Cs_0.2PbI₃, we find that the 2D/3D perovskite heterostructures passivated by a higher ordered 2D perovskite have lower Urbach energy, yielding a remarkable increase in photoluminescence (PL) intensity, PL lifetime, charge-carrier mobilities (ϕμ), and carrier diffusion length (L_D) for a certain 2D perovskite content. High performance with an ultralong PL lifetime of ≈1.3 μs, high ϕμ of ≈18.56 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, and long L_D of ≈7.85 μm is achieved in the 2D/3D films when passivated by 16.67 % para-fluoro-PEA₂PbI₄. This carrier diffusion length is comparable to that of some perovskite single crystals (>5 μm). These findings provide key missing information on how the organic cations of 2D perovskites influence the performance of 2D/3D perovskite heterostructures.     

Enantio- and Diastereoselective NiH-Catalyzed Hydroalkylation of Enamides or Enecarbamates with Racemic α-Bromoamides**

Catalytic methods which control multiple stereogenic centers simultaneously are highly desirable in modern organic synthesis and chemical manufacturing. Herein, we report a regio-, enantio-, and diastereoselective NiH-catalyzed hydroalkylation process which proceeds with simultaneous control of vicinal stereocenters originating from two readily accessible partners, prochiral internal alkenes (enamides or enecarbamates) and racemic alkyl electrophiles (α-bromoamides or Katritzky salts). This reaction produces high-value β-aminoamides and their derivatives under mild conditions and with precise selectivity. Preliminary studies of the mechanism indicate that the reaction involves an enantioselective syn-hydronickelation to generate an enantiomerically enriched alkylnickel(II) species. Subsequent enantioconvergent alkylation with a racemic alkyl electrophile generates the desired product as a single stereoisomer.