A Luminescent Cage‐Like Complex Constructed by Bidentate Pyridine‐Containing Ligand and Silver Nitrate

The cage‐like complex, Ag₄L₄(NO₃)₄ ( 1 ) [L = 1, 4‐bis(pyridine‐2‐ylmethoxy)benzene] was synthesized by the reaction of the flexible bidentate ligand and silver nitrate. It was characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, TG, and single‐crystal X‐ray analysis. Complex 1 is reported as the first cage‐like cluster constructed by four nitrate anions bridging two [2+2] macrocycles. A blue luminescent emission and luminescent enhancement effect are observed in complex 1 .     

Preparation,Crystal Structure,and Thermal Decomposition of the Intriguing Five‐coordinated Compound [Cu(IMI)4Cl]Cl (IMI = Imidazole)

The intriguing multi‐ligand compound [Cu(IMI)₄Cl]Cl ( 1 ) with the ligand imidazole (IMI) was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and FT‐IR spectroscopy. The crystal structure was determined by X‐ray single crystal diffraction and the crystallographic data showed that the compound belongs to the monoclinic P2₁/n space group [α = 8.847(2) Å, b = 13.210(3) Å, c = 13.870(3) Å, and β = 90.164(3)°]. Furthermore, the Cu^II ion is five‐coordinated by four nitrogen atoms from four imidazole ligands and a chlorine atom. The thermal decomposition mechanism was determined based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric (TG‐DTG) analysis. The non‐isothermal kinetics parameters were calculated by the Kissinger's method and Ozawa's method, respectively. The energy of combustion, enthalpy of formation, critical temperature of thermal explosion, entropy of activation (ΔS^≠), enthalpy of activation (ΔH^≠), and free energy of activation (ΔG^≠) were measured and calculated.     

Synthesis of a novel sulfur-bearing secondary antioxidant with a high molecular weight and its comparative study on antioxidant behavior in polypropylene with two commercial sulfur-bearing secondary antioxidants having relatively low molecular weight

A novel sulfur-bearing secondary antioxidant with a high molecular weight of 2252 (OS-POSS), successfully synthesized via photoinitiated thiol-ene click reaction, was compared with two commercial sulfur-bearing secondary antioxidants on the stabilization of polypropylene (PP). The results of their oxidation induction time (OIT) via differential scanning calorimeter measurement (DSC) showed that the higher the molecular weight of secondary antioxidant is, the longer the OIT value, whether such sulfur-bearing antioxidant is used singly or in combination with primary antioxidant. The study of their long-term accelerated thermal aging in the air oven at 150 °C displayed that the molecular structure of sulfur-bearing secondary antioxidant, besides molecular weight, is another highly important factor determining the antioxidant efficiency, i.e., physical loss of antioxidants with the relatively low molecular weight may determine antioxidant efficiency, whereas thioether groups having neighboring ester carbonyl moieties may decompose more hydroperoxides with quicker rate.     

Computational gibberellin‐binding channel discovery unraveling the unexpected perception mechanism of hormone signal by gibberellin receptor

Gibberellins (GAs) are phytohormones essential for many developmental processes in plants. In this work, fundamental mechanism of hormone perception by receptor GID1 has been studied by performing computational simulations, revealing a new GA‐binding channel of GID1 and a novel hormone perception mechanism involving only one conformational state of GID1. The novel hormone perception mechanism demonstrated here is remarkably different from the previously proposed/speculated mechanism [Murase et al., Nature 2008 , 456, 459] involving two conformational states (“OPEN” and “CLOSED”) of GID1. According to the new perception mechanism, GA acts as a “conformational stabilizer,” rather than the previously speculated “allosteric inducer,” to induce the recognition of protein DELLA by GID1. The novel mechanistic insights obtained in this study provide a new starting point for further studies on the detailed molecular mechanisms of GID1 interacting with DELLA and various hormones and for mechanism‐based rational design of novel, potent growth regulators that target crops and ornamental plants. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The study of the stability of aqueous three-phase fire-resistant foam in typical liquidus hydrocarbons

The utilization of solid particles in aqueous foam has a great potential in improving fire fighting efficiency. In this study, aqueous foam supported by micro fly-ash (FA) was prepared and its stability in a specific type of oil was characterized. Firstly, different amount of FA was added to study the influence of FA concentration on foamability. It showed that within a specific extent, foam expansion ratio increased with the increasing of FA concentration. And compared with conventional foams, oil resistance of FA stabilized foams, which was investigated by analyzing drainage rate and evolution process with a self-made apparatus, was remarkably improved when FA concentration exceed 4.8wt.%. Secondly, SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ particles with different median sizes were used to study the effect of particle size on stability. However, the smaller hydrophilic particles didn’t behave better as expected. Moreover, the foam stability in three hydrocarbons was evaluated in the same way. The results indicated that the short chain hydrocarbons had much stronger detrimental effect to both two-phase foam and three-phase foam. But overall, the three-phase foam stabilized by FA exhibited much better oil resistance, so it can be used as a promising material for pool fire extinguishing and prevention.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT     

Adsorption of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution by diethylenetriamine-functionalized magnetic chitosan

In this paper, the modified magnetic chitosan resin containing diethylenetriamine functional groups (DETA-MCS) was used for the adsorption of uranium ions from aqueous solutions. The influence of experimental conditions such as contact time, pH value and initial uranium(VI) concentration was studied. The Langmuir, Freundlich, Sips and Dubinin–Radushkevich equations were used to check the fitting of adsorption data to the equilibrium isotherm. The best fit for U(VI) was obtained with the Sips model. Adsorption kinetics data were tested using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating that the chemical adsorption was the rate-limiting step. The present results suggest that DETA-MCS is an adsorbent for the efficient removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution.     

Structure and Activity of RNase A in Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Solutions

The structure and activity of RNase A in sodium dodecyl sulphate solutions were investigated at 25.0±0.1 and pH 7.00. The results show that with increasing sodium dodecyl sulphate concentration, the structure of RNase A is collapsed gradually, however, the activity of RNase A is first increased and then decreased. This is mainly due to the different effect of SDS at different SDS concentration.     

Noncovalent Functionalization of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes by Anionic Polymer Poly(Sodium 4‐Styrenesulfonate) in Water

We have found that polymer poly (sodium 4‐styrenesulfonate) (PSS) is a facile and effective polymer to assist in the dispersion of MWCNTs in aqueous solutions. With the increase of the concentration of PSS solutions, the dispersibility of MWCNTs in PSS solution increases. Cast films of MWCNTs/PSS (2 wt.%) on GC electrode show a typical redox couple at scan rate of 1 V/s in phosphate buffer solution, indicating good electrical conductivity.     

LiCoO2 Hollow Nanofibers by Co‐Electrospinning Sol‐Gel Precursor

LiCoO₂ xerogel hollow nanofibers were first prepared by co‐electrospinning the sol precursor, and the polycrystalline LiCoO₂ hollow nanofibers were obtained after calcination of the xerogel fibers. The obtained hollow nanofibers made up of 20～30 nm nanocrystals were about 100 nm to several micrometers in outer diameter. The hollow nanofibers were detected by means of SEM, TEM, TG, DSC, FTIR, and XRD techniques.