Unexpected solid-state photochemistry of an alpha-thiophenyl-alpha'-thiophenyl-S,S-dioxo-substituted ketone

Samples of 2,4-dimethyl-2-(thiophen-3-yl)-4-(thiophen-3-yl-S,S-dioxo)pentan-3-one 2 were obtained by controlled MCPBA oxidation of 2,4-dimethyl-2,4-di(thiophen-3-yl)pentan-3-one 1. Rather than the expected photodecarbonylation, UV--vis irradiation of 2 led to the intramolecular 2 + 2 photocycloaddition product 5 in quantitative yields (by GC and NMR) both in solution and in crystalline solid state. Detailed X-ray powder diffraction analyses revealed that the solid-state reaction of sulfone 2 occurs with a loss of long-range order despite retaining some birefringence under polarized microscopy.     

One-pot Synthesis of 1,8-Dioxo-decahydroacridine Derivatives in Aqueous Media

A new and efficient method for the synthesis of 1,8‐dioxo‐9‐aryl‐decahydroacridine derivatives was developed via a one‐pot three component reaction of dimedone, aromatic aldehydes and ammonium acetate in the presence of ammonium chloride, or Zn(OAc)₂·2H₂O or L‐proline separately in water in the short period of time and high yields.     

A Three‐Step Method for the Deposition of Large Cuboids of Organic–Inorganic Perovskite and Application in Solar Cells

A three‐step method for the deposition of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite films with a high crystalline structure and large cuboid overlayer morphology is reported. The method includes PbI₂ deposition, which is followed by dipping into a solution of C₄H₉NH₃I (BAI) and (BA)₂PbI₄ perovskite formation. In the final step, the poorly thermodynamically stable (BA)₂PbI₄ phase converts into the more stable CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite by dipping into a solution of CH₃NH₃I. The final product is characterized by XRD, SEM, UV/Vis, and photoluminescence analysis methods. The experimental results indicate that the prepared perovskite has cuboids with high crystallinity and large sizes (up to 1 μm), as confirmed by XRD and SEM data. Photovoltaic investigations show that the three‐step method results in higher solar cell efficiency (15 % enhancement in efficiency) with a better reproducibility than the conventional two‐step deposition method.     

Theoretical elucidation of kinetic and thermodynamic control of radical addition regioselectivity

The cyclizations of two structurally similar 2-oxo-5-hexenyl-type radicals have been investigated by ab initio and density functional (UB3LYP/6-31+G**//UHF/6-31G* and UB3LYP/6-31G*//UB3LYP/6-31G*) calculations. The origin of apparently contradictory reports of 6-endo and 5-exo cyclizations is determined. Kinetic control favors 6-endo cyclization, while thermodynamic control gives 5-exo cyclization, and the observation of different products from different research groups arises from the difference in experimental conditions used by the two groups. The outcome of a new cyclization reaction was predicted by using these theoretical techniques. Kinetic control is predicted to yield exclusively the products of 6-endo cyclization, while thermodynamic control would lead to an approximately equal mixture of one 6-endo and one 5-exo cyclized product. Experimental studies revealed that the reaction yields only the products of 6-endo cyclization through kinetic control.     

Synthesis and characterization of A2 + B3 type hyperbranched aromatic-aliphatic polyester with carboxyl end groups

New types of carboxyl-terminated hyperbranched polyesters (HBPEs) with aromatic-aliphatic structure were synthesized by single step-melt polycondensation of adipic acid (as A2 monomer) and phloroglucinol (as B3 monomer) as a core via A₂ + B₃ approach, at three different monomer mole ratios (A₂/B₃ = 1: 1, 1.5: 1, 2: 1, respectively). FTIR spectroscopy indicated that the polymers contained hydroxyl groups, ester bonds, benzene ring, methyl and methylene groups, which were in agreement with the expected HBPEs. The HBPEs have inherent viscosities about 0.24 to 0.27 dL/g. The degree of branching of the HBPEs was estimated to be 0.45–0.49% by ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR measurements. The melting temperature of HBPE-1, HBPE-2 and HBPE-3 were 154, 155 and 160°C respectively measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The synthesized polymers were thermally stable; the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurement revealed that HBPEs had 10% weight loss at 310°C in nitrogen.     

Solvent effects on catalytic activity of manganese porphyrins with cationic,anionic and uncharged meso substituents: Indirect evidence on the nature of active oxidant species

Oxidation of cyclohexene and styrene with sodium periodate and tetra‐n‐butylammonium periodate (TBAP) catalyzed by MnT(3‐MePy)P(OAc), MnT(4‐SO₃)PP(OAc) and MnTPP(OAc) has been studied in water, methanol, acetonitrile and dichloromethane as solvents. The results show significant dependence of the product distribution on the type of solvent and the electronic nature of the aryl substituents introduced at the porphyrin periphery. While the oxidation of cyclohexene and styrene in the presence of MnT(3‐MePy)P(OAc) and MnTPP(OAc) in water (also in methanol) gave the corresponding epoxides as nearly the sole product, performing the reactions in the presence of MnT(4‐SO₃)PP(OAc) yielded the products of allylic oxidation, cyclohexene‐2‐ol and cyclohexene‐2‐one and acetophenone as the major products. In the case of styrene, performing the reaction in the presence of MnT(4‐SO₃)PP(OAc), MnT(3‐MePy)P(OAc) and MnTPP(OAc) in acetonitrile gave a mixture of styrene oxide and acetophenone as the products. Under the same conditions, the oxidation of cyclohexene afforded cyclohexene oxide as approximately the exclusive product. Furthermore, the oxidation of olefins in dichloromethane gave the corresponding epoxide as the exclusive products. The product distributions observed in the protic and aprotic solvents were used to provide indirect evidence on the relative contribution and reactivity of high valent manganese oxo and periodato Mn(III) porphyrin species to the oxidation reactions.     

Separation of organohalides from their microemulsions by the pervaporation technique: Application to the n-butyl bromide/SDS/n-butanol/water system

An n-butyl bromide/sodium dodecyl sulfate/n-butanol/water microemulsion system was chosen as a model of an organohalide-containing microemulsion. Two systems were prepared using the Bourayne method: a water-rich system and an n-butyl-bromide-rich system. The destabilization of this micro-organized system and the phase separation were investigated. This microemulsion, in which the oil phase in the feed is the lower layer, was successfully destabilized using the pervaporation technique with polydimethylsiloxane and poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes. In this way, different factors governing the separation process were investigated such as the mass transfer and the effect of time and operating temperature on the microemulsion destabilization.     

Mo (CO)6‐assisted Pd‐supported magnetic graphene oxide‐catalyzed carbonylation‐cyclization as an efficient way for the synthesis of 4(3H)‐quinazolinones

In this paper, a novel catalyst is introduced based on the immobilization of palladium on modified magnetic graphene oxide nanoparticles. The catalyst is characterized by several methods, including transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray fluorescence, vibrating‐sample magnetometer, Fourier transform‐infrared and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. The activity of the catalyst was investigated in the synthesis of 4(3H)‐quinazolinones via Pd‐catalyzed carbonylation‐cyclization of N‐(2‐bromoaryl) benzimidamides by Mo (CO)₆. The Mo (CO)₆ is used as a carbon monoxide source for performing the reaction under mild conditions. The catalyst showed good reusability, and no change in activity was observed after 10 cycles of recovery.