EPR studies on H-abstraction from methylbenzenes by “magic blue” reagent

After mixing a methylbenzene 4 with “magic blue” solution in F113 (CClF₂CCl₂F) containing bis{perfluoro[1-(2-fluorosulfonyl)ethoxy]ethyl}nitroxide 2 and perfluoro-1-nitroso-1-[1-(2-fluorosulfonyl)ethoxy]ethane 3 at room temperature, benzylic H-atom of 4 could be selectively abstracted by 2, and benzyl radical 5 thus generated was immediately trapped by 3. Based on hyper-fine splitting constants (hfsc), the structure of the spin adducts perfluoro[1-(2-fluorosulfonyl)ethoxy]ethyl benzyl nitroxides 6 derived from seven methylbenzenes have been identified. The mechanism of the H-abstraction/spin trapping process is also discussed.     

EPR studies on H-abstractions/spin-trapping reactions of new 'magic blue' reagents with alcohols

The H-abstractions/spin-trapping reactions with primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols of new 'magic blue' reagents, namely, the blue F113 (CClF₂CCl₂F) solution containing bis{perfluoro[1-(2-fluorosulfonyl)ethoxy]ethyl} nitroxide (2) and perfluoro[1-nitroso-1-(2-fluorosulfonyl)ethoxy]ethane (3) both generated in the reaction of perfluoro[2-(2-fluorosulfonyl)ethoxy]propionyl peroxide (1) with sodium nitrite in F113 at room temperature, were studied by EPR. Based on the interpretation of the EPR spectra of the spin adducts, nitroxides, the region-selectivity of H-abstraction has been disclosed and the possible mechanistic paths of H-abstraction have also been discussed. EPR of H-abstraction by using 'magic blue' reagents can also be used for producing various hydroxyalkyl radicals from common alcohols.     

Combined investigation of experimental characterization and theoretic calculation on the structure of dextran-Fe3O4 clusters

Dextran-Fe₃O₄ hybrid clusters were fabricated by coprecipitating ferric and ferrous ions in the presence of dextran, and after characterization of these clusters combined with calculation based on classical nucleation theory, a structure model of these hybrid clusters was proposed. The hybrid cluster was believed including small Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and dextran which acted as both nucleating agent and stabilizer, so that exist in both the inside of magnetite nanoparticles and the periphery of the hybrid clusters. Besides, the effects of W_CD (weight_{iron cation}:weight_dextran) and molecular weight of dextran on the size, morphology and magnetic property of clusters were also investigated in this paper. It was found that the variation of W_CD and molecular weight of dextran have great effect on the size of the hybrid clusters, but have almost no effect on the size of the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The characterization of magnetic property demonstrated that the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles are of a single domain and the saturation magnetization was affected by the size of dextran-Fe₃O₄ hybrid clusters.     

Late-Stage Direct o-Alkenylation of Phenols by PdII-Catalyzed C−H Functionalization

o-Alkenylation of unprotected phenols has been developed by direct C−H functionalization catalyzed by Pd^II. This work features phenol group as a directing group and realizes highly site-selective C−H bond functionalization of phenols to achieve the corresponding products in moderate to excellent yields at 60 °C. The advantages of this reaction include unprecedented C−H functionalization using phenol as a directing group, high regioselectivity, good substrate scope, mild reaction conditions, and high efficiency. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a regioselective C−H alkenylation of unprotected phenols utilizing phenolic hydroxyl group as a directing group. The alkenylation of unprotected tyrosine and intramolecular cyclization are also successfully carried out under this catalytic system in good yields. Furthermore, this novel method enables a late-stage modification of complex phenol-containing bioactive molecules toward a diversity-oriented drug discovery.     

A compact and low-loss polarization splitter based on dual-core photonic crystal fiber

The characteristics of a novel dual-core photonic crystal fiber are investigated. In the center of photonic crystal fiber, an energy transmission channel is introduced. The optimized photonic crystal fiber can be used for polarization splitter, which has a short length and low loss.     

Isomers of B←N-Fused Dibenzo-azaacenes: How B←N Affects Opto-electronic Properties and Device Behaviors?

The B←N unit has a large dipole and it is isoelectronic to C−C moiety with no dipole. Incorporating B←N units into π-conjugated system is a powerful strategy to design organic small molecules and polymers with intriguing opto-electronic properties and excellent opto-electronic device performance. However, it is unclear how the B←N unit affects electronic structures and opto-electronic properties of large π-conjugated molecules. In this work, to address this question, we developed three dibenzo-azaacene molecules in which two B←N units were introduced at different positions. Although the dibenzo-azaacene skeleton is fully π-conjugated, the effect of B←N unit on the electronic structures of the adjacent rings is much stronger than that of the distant rings. As a result, the three molecules with isomerized B←N incorporation patterns possess different electronic structures and exhibit tunable opto-electronic properties. Among the three molecules, the centrosymmetrical molecule exhibits higher LUMO/HOMO energy levels than those of the two axisymmetrical molecules. When used as the active layer in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), while the two axisymmetrical molecules show unipolar electron transporting property, the centrosymmetrical molecule exhibits ambipolar hole and electron transporting behavior. This work not only deepens our understanding on organoboron π-conjugated molecules, but also indicates a new strategy to tune opto-electronic properties of organic semiconductors for excellent device performance.     

A novel intramolecular reversible reaction between the hydroxyl group and isobutenylene chain in a cyclophane-type macrocycle

A novel Hg²⁺ ion induced reversible ring contraction was achieved employing the intramolecular reaction of isobutylene with an aromatic hydroxyl group of cyclophane; reversibility of the reaction was facilitated by excess addition of NaBH₄ which also resulted in complexation. The ring contraction and expansion was monitored by UV-VIS absorption, and by fluorescence and ¹H NMR spectra. Switchable fluorescence behavior (on—off—on) was observed when the ring-size was tuned from a 19-membered ring to an 18-membered and vice versa. This fine tuning has the potential to be applied in the construction of new supramolecular devices.     

Particle plasmon‐induced charge trapping at heterointerfaces in PCDTBT:PC70BM blends

We investigate the influence of particle plasmons on exciton and charge generation and recombination processes in the blend of poly (9‐(1‐octylnonyl)‐9H‐carbazole‐benzothiadiazole‐4,7‐diyl‐2,5‐thiophenediyl) (PCDTBT) and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₇₀butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₀BM). The particle plasmons are generated from gold nanoparticles, which are embedded into PCDTBT:PC₇₀BM blend. For the blend with gold nanoparticles, we observe enhance light harvesting. Despite the enhanced light collection, we find that the quasi‐steady‐state charge generation has not been influenced by the particle plasmons. However, the generation and recombination of long‐lived (sub‐millisecond) polaron paris have been significantly enhanced: from untrapped state in the pristine blend to the trapped state in the gold nanoparticle‐embedded blend. This result implies that the plasmon‐influenced polarons are trapped at the broadband geminate polaron pair (GPP) state. This state acts as an intermediate state, which either leads to the formation of charge transfer excitons (CTXs) or free charge carriers. In our case, the particle plasmon‐influenced polarons are trapped in the GPP state, which leads to the formation of CTXs. For this reason, we do not observe the enhanced charge generation in PCDTBT:PC₇₀BM blend with particle plasmon resonance. Finally, we revealed that the long‐lived polarons mainly resulted from the localization by particle plasmons. The macroscopic modification in the blend film made negligible contributions to this influence. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 940–947