Highly Emissive 9-Borafluorene Derivatives: Synthesis,Photophysical Properties and Device Fabrication

A series of 9-borafluorene derivatives, functionalised with electron-donating groups, have been prepared. Some of these 9-borafluorene compounds exhibit strong yellowish emission in solution and in the solid state with relatively high quantum yields (up to 73.6 % for FMesB-Cz as a neat film). The results suggest that the highly twisted donor groups suppress charge transfer, but the intrinsic photophysical properties of the 9-borafluorene systems remain. The new compounds showed enhanced stability towards the atmosphere, and exhibited excellent thermal stability, revealing their potential for application in materials science. Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices were fabricated with two of the highly emissive compounds, and they exhibited strong yellow-greenish electroluminescence, with a maximum luminance intensity of >22 000 cd m⁻². These are the first two examples of 9-borafluorene derivatives being used as light-emitting materials in OLED devices, and they have enabled us to achieve a balance between maintaining their intrinsic properties while improving their stability.     

Simulation of pseudostationary radical polymerization, 3. Periodic modulation of the termination process for termination by disproportionation

A procedure is developed that allows the calculation of chain-length distributions of polymers prepared by periodic modulation of the termination rate constant, considering termination by disproportionation. Applying some (hypothetical) field which suppresses — or at least diminishes — the termination rate constant periodically, results in step-function-like chain-length distributions. In principle, the same information may be obtained as in the case of periodical variation of the rate of initiation.     

The function of ruthenium oxides in Pt-Ru catalysts for methanol electro-oxidation at low temperatures

The electrocatalytic activities of different binary Pt-Ru(ox) catalysts have been investigated in half-cell experiments by cyclic voltammetry and stationary current–potential measurements. The materials have been prepared using a modification of the Adams method. X-ray analytical methods (X-ray diffraction, XRD, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, EDX) as well as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) have been used to characterize the composition and the catalysts' content of the crystalline phases, and their surface areas have been determined by the BET method. It is found that the composition of the catalyst is strongly influenced by the synthesis temperature, which is varied between 400 and 600 °C. In contrast, the particle size of the metallic phases of the catalysts is not significantly affected for synthesis temperatures below 600 °C, as investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Synthesis temperatures of 500 °C favor the formation of crystalline RuO₂ phases, whereas at synthesis temperatures below 500 °C the presence of metallic alloy and of hydrous oxides was derived by the combined XRD and EDX measurements. The stationary current–potential curves show a correlation with the different synthesis temperatures. It can be concluded that both the presence of an alloyed metallic Pt-Ru phase as well as the presence of amorphous hydrated Ru oxides are favorable for the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol.Dedicated to Prof. Wolf Vielstich on the occasion of his 80th birthday in recognition of his numerous contributions to interfacial electrochemistry     

Mechanisms of Cobalt/Phosphine-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions

>The combination of CoCl₂ with bidentate phosphines is known to catalyze challenging cross-coupling and Heck-type reactions, but the mechanisms of these valuable transformations have not been established. Here, we use electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry to intercept the species formed in these reactions. Our results indicate that a sequence of transmetalation, reductive elimination, and redox disproportionation convert the cobalt(II) precatalyst into low-valent cobalt complexes. These species readily transfer single electrons to alkyl bromides, which thereupon dissociate into alkyl radicals and Br⁻. In cross-coupling reactions, the alkyl radicals add to the cobalt catalyst to form observable heteroleptic complexes, which release the coupling products through reductive eliminations. In the Heck-type reactions, the low abundance of newly formed ionic species renders the analysis more difficult. Nonetheless, our results also point to the occurrence of single-electron transfer processes and the involvement of radicals in these transformations.     

N-Heterocyclic Olefins as Electron Donors in Combination with Triarylborane Acceptors: Synthesis,Optical and Electronic Properties of D–π–A Compounds

N-heterocyclic olefins (NHOs), relatives of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), exhibit high nucleophilicity and soft Lewis basic character. To investigate their π-electron donating ability, NHOs were attached to triarylborane π-acceptors (A) giving donor (D)–π–A compounds 1 – 3 . In addition, an enamine π-donor analogue ( 4 ) was synthesized for comparison. UV–visible absorption studies show a larger red shift for the NHO-containing boranes than for the enamine analogue, a relative of cyclic (alkyl)(amino) carbenes (CAACs). Solvent-dependent emission studies indicate that 1 – 4 have moderate intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) behavior. Electrochemical investigations reveal that the NHO-containing boranes have extremely low reversible oxidation potentials (e.g., for 3 , =−0.40 V vs. ferrocene/ferrocenium, Fc/Fc⁺, in THF). Time-dependent (TD) DFT calculations show that the HOMOs of 1 – 3 are much more destabilized than that of the enamine-containing 4 , which confirms the stronger donating ability of NHOs.     

Limited stability of the pH reference material sodium tetraborate decahydrate (“borax”)

Thermogravimetric and X-ray powder diffraction analyses revealed that the pH reference material sodium tetraborate decahydrate (“borax”) is not a stable substance but, loosing some of its water of crystallization, transforms slowly into the pentahydrate. The connected pH changes of the solutions are opposite to and larger than, those expected according to the dilution value of the decahydrate as shown by differential potentiometric measurements. The transformation rate depends on the storing time in the closed original container, the time of and after the first exposure of the material to the atmosphere, the frequency of and the relative humidity during subsequent exposures, and the temperature. The transformation reaction is not understood in detail. However, the experiments showed that sodium tetraborate decahydrate is a reliable pH reference material, whose pH is constant within ΔpH=±0.005 within at least two years after preparation, even if occasionally exposed to the atmosphere. Further work will show whether this time limit can be somewhat extended.     

Synthesis of branched oxime-linked peptide mimetics of the MUC1 containing a universal T-helper epitope

Our goal was to develop mimics of MUC1, highly immunogenic to induce an efficient immune response against the tumor-associated form of MUC1, and sufficiently different from the natural antigen to bypass the tolerance barrier in humans. With the aim of obtaining a well-defined peptide construct as a means of evoking the precise immune responses required in immunotherapy, we synthesized artificial mimics of the MUC1 protein composed of two MUC1 repeat units of inverse orientation and a universal T-helper epitope. To synthesize these heteromeric peptide constructs, we followed a convergent approach using chemoselective ligation based on oxime chemistry. A stem peptide was first synthesized bearing two orthogonally masked aldehydes. After successive deprotection, two oxime bonds can be specifically generated. The proposed strategy proved to be concise and robust, and allowed the synthesis of the tri-branched protein in a very satisfactory yield. The different constructs were tested for their ability to generate antibodies able to recognize the MUC1 protein.