Hydrodechlorination of Dichloromethane by a Metal-Free Triazole-Porphyrin Electrocatalyst: Demonstration of Main-Group Element Electrocatalysis**

In this work, the electrocatalytic reduction of dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂) into hydrocarbons involving a main group element-based molecular triazole-porphyrin electrocatalyst H2PorT8 is reported. This catalyst converted CH₂Cl₂ in acetonitrile to various hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, and ethylene) with a Faradaic efficiency of 70 % and current density of −13 mA cm⁻² at a potential of −2.2 V vs. Fc/Fc⁺ using water as a proton source. The findings of this study and its mechanistic interpretations demonstrated that H2PorT8 was an efficient and stable catalyst for the hydrodechlorination of CH₂Cl₂ and that main group catalysts could be potentially used for exploring new catalytic reaction mechanisms.     

The bloom of natural product chemistry in China

正Natural product chemistry is an important area across chemistry,biology,and pharmaceutical sciences.The discovery of natural products through isolation and structural elucidation expands the chemical space of biologically active molecules in an unparallel fashion;numerous medicinally relevant compounds arise from natural product scaffolds.The chemical synthesis of natural products advances the development of organic chemistry from the theoretical,     

Ultra-lightweight cellulose foam material: preparation and properties

Ultra-lightweight cellulose foams were prepared by regeneration of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/cellulose/NaOH/urea blend solution via mechanical agitation and then freeze-drying. The morphology and properties of the blend solutions and foams were investigated via optical microscope, rheometer, BET and SEM. As a result, it was found that the inclusion complex structure between cellulose macromolecules and the solvent molecules was not destroyed. Moreover, the bubbles were about 20–50 μm in the solutions and larger (>100 μm) in the foams. Not only the micropores (bubbles) but also the nanopores could be observed in the wet and dried foams. The cellulose foams possessed ultra-low density of about 30 mg/cm³ and high specific surface area. The result of X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the cellulose foams were transited from cellulose I to cellulose II after dissolution and gelation. Bubbles inside the wet foams weakened the mechanical properties, but inversely increased the mechanical properties in the dried foams. Typical “J”-shaped curves were observed during the mechanical test, which revealed good compressive strength of dried foams. In this work, cellulose foams with ultra-lightweight and good mechanical properties were obtained, which exhibited great potentials for further development and comprehensive utilization of cellulose.     

Poly(3,5‐dichloroaniline) Doped with Different Sulfonic Acids

Poly(3,5‐dichloroaniline) was prepared by chemical oxidation in the presence of various sulfonic acids as doping agent, using potassium permanganate as oxidant. 1‐Naphtalene sulfonic acid, 2‐naphatalene sulphonic acid, 1,5‐naphtalene disulfonic acid, and p‐toluenesulfonic acid were the acids of choice. Infrared and UV‐Vis spectroscopy, utilized to characterize the polymers, revealed that the compounds exist in the emeraldine (conductive) oxidation state. The level of doping, conductivity, and morphology were determined as well. The presence of a sulfonic acid produces a morphological change, from granular to microtubule structures, which is responsible for the strong increase in the conductivity of the polymer.     

A one-pot tandem synthesis of various 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazoles

A facile method to synthesize various 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazoles is developed. It is suggested that formation of a Meisenheimer adduct between the substrate, amine, and solvent aids the N-arylation process. The generality of the protocol is demonstrated by the efficient reactions involving numerous substituents ranging from electron-withdrawing groups to electron-donating groups.     

A Universal DNA Aptamer that Recognizes Spike Proteins of Diverse SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern

We report on a unique DNA aptamer, denoted MSA52, that displays universally high affinity for the spike proteins of wildtype SARS-CoV-2 as well as the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon, Kappa, Delta and Omicron variants. Using an aptamer pool produced from round 13 of selection against the S1 domain of the wildtype spike protein, we carried out one-round SELEX experiments using five different trimeric spike proteins from variants, followed by high-throughput sequencing and sequence alignment analysis of aptamers that formed complexes with all proteins. A previously unidentified aptamer, MSA52, showed K_d values ranging from 2 to 10 nM for all variant spike proteins, and also bound similarly to variants not present in the reselection experiments. This aptamer also recognized pseudotyped lentiviruses (PL) expressing eight different spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 with K_d values between 20 and 50 pM, and was integrated into a simple colorimetric assay for detection of multiple PL variants. This discovery provides evidence that aptamers can be generated with high affinity to multiple variants of a single protein, including emerging variants, making it well-suited for molecular recognition of rapidly evolving targets such as those found in SARS-CoV-2.     

Immuno‐Chemotherapeutic Platinum(IV) Prodrugs of Cisplatin as Multimodal Anticancer Agents

There is growing consensus that the clinical therapeutic efficacy of some chemotherapeutic agents depends on their off‐target immune‐modulating effects. Pt anticancer drugs have previously been identified to be potent immunomodulators of both the innate and the adaptive immune system. Nevertheless, there has been little development in the rational design of Pt‐based chemotherapeutic agents to exploit their immune‐activating capabilities. The FPR1/2 formyl peptide receptors are highly expressed in immune cells, as well as in many metastatic cancers. Herein, we report a rationally designed multimodal Pt^IV prodrug containing a FPR1/2‐targeting peptide that combines chemotherapy with immunotherapy to achieve therapeutic synergy and demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.     

Engineering the Atomic Interface with Single Platinum Atoms for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

It is highly desirable but challenging to optimize the structure of photocatalysts at the atomic scale to facilitate the separation of electron–hole pairs for enhanced performance. Now, a highly efficient photocatalyst is formed by assembling single Pt atoms on a defective TiO₂ support (Pt₁/def‐TiO₂). Apart from being proton reduction sites, single Pt atoms promote the neighboring TiO₂ units to generate surface oxygen vacancies and form a Pt‐O‐Ti³⁺ atomic interface. Experimental results and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the Pt‐O‐Ti³⁺ atomic interface effectively facilitates photogenerated electrons to transfer from Ti³⁺ defective sites to single Pt atoms, thereby enhancing the separation of electron–hole pairs. This unique structure makes Pt₁/def‐TiO₂ exhibit a record‐level photocatalytic hydrogen production performance with an unexpectedly high turnover frequency of 51423 h^?1, exceeding the Pt nanoparticle supported TiO₂ catalyst by a factor of 591.     

Electroreductive Cobalt‐Catalyzed Carboxylation: Cross‐Electrophile Electrocoupling with Atmospheric CO2

The chemical use of CO₂ as an inexpensive, nontoxic C1 synthon is of utmost topical interest in the context of carbon capture and utilization (CCU). We present the merger of cobalt catalysis and electrochemical synthesis for mild catalytic carboxylations of allylic chlorides with CO₂. Styrylacetic acid derivatives were obtained with moderate to good yields and good functional group tolerance. The thus‐obtained products are useful as versatile synthons of γ‐arylbutyrolactones. Cyclic voltammetry and in operando kinetic analysis were performed to provide mechanistic insights into the electrocatalytic carboxylation with CO₂.