Design,Synthesis, and Antifungal Activity of 3‐(Thiophen‐2‐yl)‐1,5‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrrol‐2‐one Derivatives Bearing a Carbonic Ester Group

A series of 3‐(thiophen‐2‐yl)‐1,5‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrrol‐2‐one derivatives bearing a carbonic ester group were designed and synthesized by integrating a thiophene nucleus and a pyrroline‐2‐one scaffold in a single molecular architecture. Their structures were confirmed by IR, ¹H‐NMR, EI‐MS, and elemental analyses, and their antifungal activities against Fusarium graminearum (Fg), Rhizoctorzia solani (Rs), and Botrytis cinerea (Bc) were evaluated. The antifungal bioassays indicated that some title compounds exhibited desirable antifungal effects against the tested fungi. Strikingly, the title compounds 4i , 4k , 4n , and 4o showed obvious antifungal activities against Rs, with corresponding EC₅₀ values of 35.26, 33.56, 23.90, and 30.48 μg/mL, respectively, which are better than that of hymexazol (37.86 μg/mL). These results indicated that 3‐(thiophen‐2‐yl)‐1,5‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrrol‐2‐one derivatives bearing a carbonic ester group can serve as potential structural templates in the search for novel high‐efficient fungicides.     

Poly(ionic liquid)s as phase-transporter for graphene oxide liquid crystals from aqueous to non-polar organic phase via noncovalent functionalization

We synthesise a novel poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) and develop a procedure that allows the phase transfer of graphene oxides (GO) from water to organic solvent, retaining graphene oxide liquid crystal (GOLC) phase in various organic solvents, especially non-polar organic solvents. PIL ([PEP-MIM]DBS) is exploited in this procedure as a noncovalent functional material that is capable of transporting GO from aqueous to non-polar organic phase. PILs can decorate GO noncovalently and keep GO nano-sheets exfoliated in solid-state PILs/GO hybrids, which can well redisperse in organic solvents without any agglomeration. This expands the number of known solvents which can support GOLC phase to dimethyl formamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, and a number of other non-polar organic solvents, many of which were not known to afford GOLC phase prior to this report, such as dichloromethane, tetrachloromethane, dichloroethane and tetrachloroethane.     

The effect of ion exchange on glass surface morphology and composition

The surface morphology and K⁺, Na⁺ concentration distributions of plate glass were investigated by atomic force microscope (AFM) and electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) before and after ion exchange. The AFM images indicate that the surface microcrack of chemical strengthened glass can be closed to a certain extent and the surface smoothness can be improved. The EPMA results indicate that the relationship between the weight gain and time, temperature follows Fick’s law, which are same as that of the thickness of ion exchanged layer, the total exchanged amount. Consequently, a simple and accurate weighing method was first proposed to estimate the ion exchange state.     

Highly fluorescent polycaprolactones decorated with di(thiophene‐2‐yl)‐diketopyrrolopyrrole: A covalent strategy of tuning fluorescence properties in solid states

Well‐defined 1,4‐diketo‐3,6‐di(thiophen‐2‐yl)pyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole (DTDPP) labeled polycaprolactones (PCL) with different chain lengths were synthesized and characterized. The effect of polymer chain lengths on the optical properties of DTDPP in solid states was studied by UV‐Vis absorption spectroscopy as well as steady‐state and dynamic fluorescence spectroscopies. Our results indicate that when the PCL side chain is extended to a certain length, the intermolecular aggregation of DTDPP units can be reduced significantly due to segregation effect of PCL. This approach offers a new facile strategy to address the common problem of aggregation‐caused quenching existing in organic fluorophores. These highly fluorescent biodegradable PCL polymers may find broad biomedical applications such as fluorescence‐based bioimaging and tissue engineering. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1032–1042     

Geometric inequalities for free boundary hypersurfaces in a ball

Annals of Global Analysis and Geometry - In this paper, we prove a family of sharp geometric inequalities for free boundary hypersurfaces in a ball in space forms.     

A highly selective fluorescent probe for pyrophosphate in aqueous solution

A new 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide-based fluorescent chemosensor bearing a guanidiniocarbonyl pyrrole moiety has been synthesized. The sensor displays a selective fluorescent enhancement with pyrophosphate over ATP, ADP, AMP and other inorganic anions in aqueous solution.     

Electrocatalytic Synthesis of Nylon-6 Precursor at Almost 100 % Yield

Synthesis of cyclohexanone oxime via the cyclohexanone-hydroxylamine process is widespread in the caprolactam industry, which is an upstream industry for nylon-6 production. However, there are two shortcomings in this process, harsh reaction conditions and the potential danger posed by explosive hydroxylamine. In this study, we presented a direct electrosynthesis of cyclohexanone oxime using nitrogen oxides and cyclohexanone, which eliminated the usage of hydroxylamine and demonstrated a green production of caprolactam. With the Fe electrocatalysts, a production rate of 55.9 g h⁻¹ g_cat⁻¹ can be achieved in a flow cell with almost 100 % yield of cyclohexanone oxime. The high efficiency was attributed to their ability of accumulating adsorbed hydroxylamine and cyclohexanone. This study provides a theoretical basis for electrocatalyst design for C−N coupling reactions and illuminates the tantalizing possibility to upgrade the caprolactam industry towards safety and sustainability.