Generation of Oxazolidine‐2,4‐diones Bearing Sulfur‐Substituted Quaternary Carbon Atoms by Oxothiolation/Cyclization of Ynamides

A novel method for metal‐free oxothiolation of ynamides to construct oxazolidine‐2,4‐diones bearing sulfur‐substituted quaternary carbon atoms has been developed. It represents a rare C?O bond cleavage of ynamides, as well as a facile and tandem approach for the formation of C?O, C?S, and C?Cl bonds. This redox‐neutral protocol can be applied to the synthesis of multisubstituted oxazolidine‐2,4‐diones with good chemoselectivity and good yields of isolated products under mild conditions.     

A Pronounced Halogen Effect on the Organogelation Properties of Peripherally Halogen Functionalized Poly(benzyl ether) Dendrons

An interesting halogen‐substituent effect on the organogelation properties of poly(benzyl ether) dendrons is reported. A new class of poly(benzyl ether) dendrons with halo substituents decorating their periphery was synthesized and fully characterized. A systematic study on the gelation abilities, thermotropic behaviors, aggregated microstructures, and mechanical properties of self‐assembled organogels was performed to elucidate the halogen‐substituent effects on their organogelation propensity. It was found that the exact halogen substitutions on the periphery of dendrons exert a profound effect on the organogelation propensity, and dendrons G _n ‐Cl (n=2, 3) and G₂‐I proved to be highly efficient organogelators. The cooperation of multiple π–π, dispersive halogen, CH–π, and weak C?H ??? X hydrogen‐bonding interactions were found to be the key contributor to forming the self‐assembled gels. Dendritic organogels formed from G _n ‐Cl (n=2, 3) in 1,2‐dichloroethane exhibited thixotropic‐responsive properties, and such thixotropic organogels are promising materials for future research and applications.     

Non‐coordinating‐Anion‐Directed Reversal of Activation Site: Selective C−H Bond Activation of N‐Aryl Rings

An Rh‐catalyzed selective C?H bond activation of diaryl‐substituted anilides is described. In an attempt to achieve C?H activation of C‐aryl rings, we unexpectedly obtained an N‐aryl ring product under non‐coordinating anion conditions, whereas the C‐aryl ring product was obtained in the absence of a non‐coordinating anion. This methodology has proved to be an excellent means of tuning and adjusting selective C?H bond activation of C‐aryl and N‐aryl rings. The approach has been rationalized by mechanistic studies and theoretical calculations. In addition, it has been found and verified that the catalytic activity of the rhodium catalyst is obviously improved by non‐coordinating anions, which provides an efficient strategy for obtaining a highly chemoselective catalyst. Mechanistic experiments also unequivocally ruled out the possibility of a so‐called “silver effect” in this transformation involving silver.     

Hierarchical NiCo2S4 Nanotube@NiCo2S4 Nanosheet Arrays on Ni Foam for High‐Performance Supercapacitors

Hierarchical NiCo₂S₄ nanotube@NiCo₂S₄ nanosheet arrays on Ni foam have been successfully synthesized. Owing to the unique hierarchical structure, enhanced capacitive performance can be attained. A specific capacitance up to 4.38 F cm^?2 is attained at 5 mA cm^?2, which is much higher than the specific capacitance values of NiCo₂O₄ nanosheet arrays, NiCo₂S₄ nanosheet arrays and NiCo₂S₄ nanotube arrays on Ni foam. The hierarchical NiCo₂S₄ nanostructure shows superior cycling stability; after 5000 cycles, the specific capacitance still maintains 3.5 F cm^?2. In addition, through the morphology and crystal structure measurement after cycling stability test, it is found that the NiCo₂S₄ electroactive materials are gradually corroded; however, the NiCo₂S₄ phase can still be well‐maintained. Our results show that hierarchical NiCo₂S₄ nanostructures are suitable electroactive materials for high performance supercapacitors.     

An Enantioselective Assembly of Dihydropyranones through an NHC/LiCl‐Mediated in situ Activation of α,β‐Unsaturated Carboxylic Acids

A straightforward N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC)/LiCl‐mediated synthesis of dihydropyranones from α,β‐unsaturated carboxylic acids and 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds was realized through the in situ activation strategy. The key advantages of this protocol include ready availability and high stability of starting materials, good yields, and excellent enantioselectivity.     

Charge Transfer Through Dithieno[2,3‐a:3′,2′‐c]phenazine: Effect of Substitution Pattern on the Optoelectronic Properties of Regioisomeric Luminophores

Two series of regioisomeric luminophores that contained a dithieno[2,3‐a:3′,2′‐c]phenazine (DTP) unit as an electron acceptor have been designed and synthesized. To investigate the effect of substitution pattern on the optoelectronic properties of these luminophores, electron donors (N,N‐dihexylaniline or N,N‐dihexyl‐4‐vinylaniline) were incorporated at the 2,5‐, 8,11‐, and 9,10‐positions of the DTP unit. We found that the optoelectronic properties of the regioisomeric luminophores were greatly affected by the substitution pattern: functionalization at the 8,11‐positions of the DTP unit was superior to the other two substitution patterns in extending the effective π‐conjugation and strengthening the intramolecular charge‐transfer interactions. Moreover, the insertion of vinyl groups between the DTP and N,N‐dihexylaniline units narrowed the energy band‐gap for isomers 4 and 5 . However, hypsochromically shifted absorption and photoluminescence maxima were observed for isomeric luminophore 6 , in which electron donors were substituted at the 2,5‐positions of the DTP unit. These results should facilitate greater understanding of the structure–property relationships in regioisomeric semiconductors and present a new way to design optoelectronic materials with effective substitution patterns.     

A Study of Different Doped Metal Cations on the Physicochemical Properties and Catalytic Activities of Ce20M1Ox (M=Zr,Cr, Mn,Fe, Co,Sn) Composite Oxides for Nitric Oxide Reduction by Carbon Monoxide

This work is mainly focused on investigating the effects of different doped metal cations on the formation of Ce₂₀M₁O_x (M=Zr, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Sn) composite oxides and their physicochemical and catalytic properties for NO reduction by CO as a model reaction. The obtained samples were characterized by using N₂ physisorption, X‐ray diffraction, laser Raman spectroscopy, UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature‐programmed reduction by hydrogen and by oxygen (H₂‐TPR and O₂‐TPD), in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and the NO+CO model reaction. The results imply that the introduction of M^x+ into the lattice of CeO₂ increases the specific surface area and pore volume, especially for variable valence metal cations, and enhances the catalytic performance to a great extent. In this regard, increases in the oxygen vacancies, reduction properties, and chemisorbed O₂^? (and/or O^?) species of these Ce₂₀M₁O_x composite oxides (M refers to variable valence metals) play significant roles in this reaction. Among the samples, Ce₂₀Cr₁O_x exhibited the best catalytic performance, mainly because it has the best reducibility and more chemisorbed oxygen, and significant reasons for these attributes may be closely related to favorable synergistic interactions of the vacancies and near‐surface Ce³⁺ and Cr³⁺. Finally, a possible reaction mechanism was tentatively proposed to understand the reactions.     

6‐TIPS‐β‐Cyclodextrin‐Modified Fe3O4 for Facile Enantioseparation of 1‐(1‐Naphthyl)ethylamine

A new type of chiral magnetic nanoparticle was prepared from covalently linked magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄) and heptakis‐(6‐O‐triisopropylsilyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin (6‐TIPS‐β‐CD). The resulting selectors (TIPS‐β‐CD‐MNPs) combined the good magnetic properties Fe₃O₄ and efficient chiral recognition ability of 6‐TIPS‐β‐CD. The enantioselectivity of TIPS‐β‐CD‐MNPs towards 1‐(1‐naphthyl)ethylamine was six times higher than that of the parent β‐CD modified Fe₃O₄ particles.