Crystal Structures and Photoluminescence Properties of Zinc(II) and Cadmium(II) Coordination Polymers with “Y”‐Shaped Ligands

Three Zn^II and Cd^II complexes with Y‐shaped dicarboxylate ligands, namely [Zn(L₁)(2,2′‐bpy)₂(H₂O)] · 2H₂O ( 1 ), [Zn(L₁)(bpp)(H₂O)] ( 2 ), and [Cd(L₁)(H₂O)] · H₂O ( 3 ) [H₂L₁ = N‐phenyliminodiacetic acid, 2,2′‐bpy = 2,2′‐bipyridine, bpp = 1,3‐bis(4‐pyridyl)propane] were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analyses. Compound 1 shows an hydrogen‐bonded 2D network, whereas compound 2 is an infinite 1D wavy chain structure, though O–H ··· O hydrogen‐bonded to form a 2D network. Compound 3 displays a 2D uninodal 3‐connected Shubnikov plane net with the point symbol of (4.8²). Moreover, the solid‐state such as thermal stabilities and fluorescence properties of 1 – 3 were also investigated.     

Three New Coordination Compounds with Neodymium Based on Tetrazole Containing Carboxylic Acid Ligands

Reactions of three tetrazole containing carboxylic acid ligands, namely, Hpztza, Htzpya, and Hpytza [Hpztza = 5‐(2‐pyrazinyl)tetrazole‐2‐acetic acid, Htzpya = 3‐(5‐tetrazolyl)pyridine‐1‐acetic acid, Hpytza = 5‐(3‐pyridyl)tetrazole‐2‐acetic acid] with NdCl₃ · 6H₂O under hydrothermal conditions, afforded the complexes [Nd(pztza)₂(H₂O)₆] · pztza · 3H₂O ( 1 ), [Nd₂(tzpya)₂(H₂O)₁₂]Cl₄ · 2H₂O ( 2 ), and [Nd(pytza)₂Cl(H₂O)₂] ( 3 ). The compounds were structurally characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. X‐ray diffraction analyses revealed that compound 1 displays a mononuclear structure, 2 shows a dinuclear structure, and 3 features a 1D polymeric chain structure via pytza as linker. Furthermore, the luminescent properties investigated at room temperature in the solid state show that compound 2 has an obvious decrease in its luminescence, when compared to the ligand.     

PdII Complexes of [44]‐ and [46]Decaphyrins: The Largest Hückel Aromatic and Antiaromatic,and Möbius Aromatic Macrocycles

Reductive metalation of [44]decaphyrin with [Pd₂(dba)₃] provided a Hückel aromatic [46]decaphyrin Pd^II complex, which was readily oxidized upon treatment with DDQ to produce a Hückel antiaromatic [44]decaphyrin Pd^II complex. In CH₂Cl₂ solution the latter complex underwent slow tautomerization to a Möbius aromatic [44]decaphyrin Pd^II complex which exists as a mixture of conformers in dynamic equilibrium. To the best of our knowledge, these three Pd^II complexes represent the largest Hückel aromatic, Hückel antiaromatic, and Möbius aromatic complexes to date.     

Enhancement of enantioselectivity in chiral capillary electrophoresis using hydroxypropyl‐beta‐cyclodextrin as chiral selector under molecular crowding conditions induced by dextran or dextrin

Molecular crowding is a new approach to enhance the retention properties and selectivity of molecularly imprinted polymers. In this work, this concept was first applied to chiral CE to enhance its enantioselectivity. A model system, enantioseparation of salbutamol using hydroxypropyl‐beta‐cyclodextrin as chiral selector in the presence of dextran or dextrin as crowding‐inducing agents, was chosen to demonstrate its potency. Some parameters, especially the concentration of crowding‐inducing agents and cyclodextrins were investigated intensively. Moreover, based on fluorescence spectroscopy and affinity CE, it was found that the presence of crowding‐inducing agents could promote the association of enantiomers with cyclodextrins and intensify the interacting differences of two enantiomers with cyclodextrins. As a result, the essential concentration of cyclodextrins to make the enantiomers reach baseline separation was significantly decreased with the aid of molecular crowding. This study shows that molecular crowding is an effective strategy to enhance the enantioselectivity of cyclodextrin in chiral CE.     

A simple fabrication method for tapered capillary tip and its applications in high‐speed CE and ESI‐MS

Fabrication of capillaries with tapered tips is an important technique that is required in many analytical chemistry areas, such as ESI‐MS, CE, electrochemical analysis, and microinjection. This paper describes a simple and effective grinding‐based fabrication method for capillaries with tapered tips. A novel grinding mode utilizing the combination of rotation and precession of an elastic capillary was developed, which significantly improved the controllability to the grinding process as well as the capillary tip shape. The capillary was fabricated by fixing it in an electric drill installed perpendicularly, and grind the capillary tip rotated around its own axis as well as the drill axis on sandpapers. Compared with conventional fabrication techniques for capillary tips, the present method is easy to control the capillary tip shape in routine laboratories without the requirement of expensive equipments or poisonous reagent (e.g. hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution). Various capillaries with different tip diameters and tip taper angles could be fabricated using the present method with good controllability and reproducibility. These capillaries were applied in high‐speed CE and ESI‐MS analysis to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of this fabrication method.     

Dopamine derivatives from the insect Polyrhachis dives as inhibitors of ROCK1/2 and stimulators of neural stem cell proliferation

Polyrhachis dives is consumed as an insect food in some regions of China. In this study, new dopamine derivatives, (+)-polyrhadopamine A (1a) and (−)-polyrhadopamine A (1b), (+)-polyrhadopamine B (2a) and (−)-polyrhadopamine B (2b), and polyrhadopamines C–E (3–5), were isolated from this species. The structures and stereochemistry of these substances were assigned by using spectroscopic and computational methods. Compounds 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b are dimeric N-acetyldopamine derivatives, 3 is a dopamine analog containing an unusual sulfone group, and 4 and 5 possess a rare benzo[d]thiazole moiety. The functions of these substances as ROCK1/2 inhibitors, neural stem cell (NSCs) proliferation stimulators, immunosuppressive, and anti-inflammatory agents were determined.     

Metal-free cross-dehydrogenative coupling of benzimidazoles with aldehydes to N-acylbenzimidazoles

A novel and direct cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) between benzimidazoles with aldehydes promoted by di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) was developed. The reactions generated the corresponding N-acylbenzimidazoles in good yields under metal-free conditions. This method has broad substrate scope and high efficiency.     

Catalyzation of 1,4-additions of arylboronic acids to α,β-unsaturated substrates using nickel(I) complexes

Nickel(I) complexes were generated in situ from Ni (PPh₃)₂Cl₂ using activated iron and the complexes combined with N,N′-bis(4-fluorobenzylidene) ethane-1,2-diamine (BFBED) were then used as a catalyst for the 1,4-addition reaction of arylboronic acids to α,β-unsaturated substrates. The reaction proceeded to completion and did not require the addition of a base but the addition of potassium iodide is crucial to this cross-coupling reaction. Moreover, experimental observations suggested a possible Ni(I)–Ni(III) catalytic cycle mechanism.