Ring-Opened Hemiporphyrazines: Helical Molecules Exhibiting Circularly Polarized Luminescence

We designed and synthesized a new type of small helical molecule exhibiting intense circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) ( 1_2H ) by modifying a 20π-electron hemiporphyrazine with a large transition magnetic dipole moment. The hemiporphyrazine ring was opened and one additional pyridine unit was introduced, resulting in an overlap of two pyridine rings. X-ray structure analysis confirmed that 1_2H and its zinc complex ( 1_Zn ) adopt a helical geometry. A racemic mixture of 1_Zn was resolved into two enantiomers ((P)- and (M)- 1_Zn ), which exhibited CPL with a high luminescence dissymmetry factor (g_lum) value of ±2.1×10⁻². The origin of the large g_lum value was rationalized by means of DFT calculations. Helical structures could be formed in a diastereoselective manner by covalently attaching chiral units to the skeleton ( 1’_2H and 1’_Zn ). 1_Zn was found to possess chiral recognition ability for amines.     

General Formation of Macro-/Mesoporous Nanoshells from Interfacial Assembly of Irregular Mesostructured Nanounits

Mesoporous core–shell nanostructures with controllable ultra-large open channels in their nanoshells are of great interest. However, soft template-directed cooperative assembly to mesoporous nanoshells with highly accessible pores larger than 30 nm, or even above 50 nm into macroporous range, remains a significant challenge. Herein we report a general approach for precisely tailored coating of hierarchically macro-/mesoporous polymer and carbon shells, possessing highly accessible radial channels with extremely wide pore size distribution from ca. 10 nm to ca. 200 nm, on diverse functional materials. This strategy creates opportunities to tailor the interfacial assembly of irregular mesostructured nanounits on core materials and generate various core–shell nanomaterials with controllable pore architectures. The obtained Fe,N-doped macro-/mesoporous carbon nanoshells show enhanced electrochemical performance for the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline condition.     

Stereoselective Syntheses of all the Possible Stereoisomers of Coronafacic Acid

An efficient and stereoselective syntheses of all the possible stereoisomers of coronafacic acid (CFA) has been developed. The stereochemistries of C3a and C7a were controlled in a diastereoselective Diels-Alder type cycloaddition using a chiral auxiliary. CFA and 6-epi-CFA were synthesized by hydrogenation of a common intermediate. During the synthesis of 6-epi-CFA, we established that its cis-fused configuration is important for the introduction of C4-C5 double bond by dehydration. This report is the first practical synthesis of both 6-epi-CFA, and its enantiomer.     

Crystal structure of poly(p-benzamide)

Redetermination of the crystal structure of poly(p-benzamide) was made by using newly collected intensity data. The molecular conformation is TCTC, where the internal rotation angles about the N? C bond of the amide group and about the virtual bond of N-phenyl-C are T (trans) and C (cis) conformations, respectively. Two molecular chains pass through a rectangular unit cell with dimension, a = 7.75 Å, b = 5.30 Å, c (fiber axis) = 12.87 Å, and the space group, P2₁2₁2₁-D. The reflection observed at the spacing of 010 may be attributed to the reflection due to another crystal polymorph or the diffuse scattering due to disorder. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A novel and efficient synthesis of porphine

meso-Tetra(n-hexyloxycarbonyl)porphyrin was found to be converted into porphine, the mother compound of porphyrins, in a 77% yield when heated in aqueous sulfuric acid at 180 °C over 30 min under an inert atmosphere. The observation demonstrates that the substituted porphyrin serves as a novel and useful precursor for porphine.     

Key aspects of crystalline Mo-V-O-based catalysts active in the selective oxidation of propane

Mo-V-O-based complex metal oxide catalysts were synthesized hydrothermally for the first time, characterized structurally and tested in the selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid, and the results obtained were compared on the basis of catalyst crystal structures in order to clarify key aspects of alkane selective oxidation over multifunctional metal oxide catalysts. The catalysts tested were black solids of rod-shaped crystals, which had a layer structure in the direction of fiber axis and various high dimensional arrangements of metal octahedra in the cross-section plane. A strong dependency on the octahedra arrangements and a facet dependency were observed, and the roles of metal elements in the course of selective oxidation of propane were clarified by comparing the catalytic performance of various Mo-V-O-based catalysts. We discuss the multi-functional character derived from high dimensional structures of the catalysts and mechanism of the selective oxidation of propane.     

Solvent-Vapor-Induced Reversible Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Transformation of a Triphosphaazatriangulene-Based Metal–Organic Framework

A triphosphaazatriangulene (H₃L) was synthesized through an intramolecular triple phospha-Friedel–Crafts reaction. The H₃L triangulene contains three phosphinate groups and an extended π-conjugated framework, which enables the stimuli-responsive reversible transformation of [Cu(HL)(DMSO)⋅(MeOH)]_n, a 3D-MOF that exhibits reversible sorption characteristics, into (H₃L⋅0.5 [Cu₂(OH)₄⋅6 H₂O] ⋅4 H₂O), a 1D-columnar assembled proton-conducting material. The hydrophilic nature of the latter resulted in a proton conductivity of 5.5×10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at 95 % relative humidity and 60 °C.     

Large-Scale Synthesis of MOF-Derived Superporous Carbon Aerogels with Extraordinary Adsorption Capacity for Organic Solvents

Carbon aerogels (CAs) with 3D interconnected networks hold promise for application in areas such as pollutant treatment, energy storage, and electrocatalysis. In spite of this, it remains challenging to synthesize high-performance CAs on a large scale in a simple and sustainable manner. We report an eco-friendly method for the scalable synthesis of ultralight and superporous CAs by using cheap and widely available agarose (AG) biomass as the carbon precursor. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) with high porosity is introduced into the AG aerogels to increase the specific surface area and enable heteroatom doping. After pyrolysis under inert atmosphere, the ZIF-8/AG-derived nitrogen-doped CAs show a highly interconnected porous mazelike structure with a low density of 24 mg cm⁻³, a high specific surface area of 516 m² g⁻¹, and a large pore volume of 0.58 cm⁻³ g⁻¹. The resulting CAs exhibit significant potential for application in the adsorption of organic pollutants.     

Rhodium-Catalyzed Highly Diastereo- and Enantioselective Synthesis of a Configurationally Stable S-Shaped Double Helicene-Like Molecule

An S-shaped double helicene-like molecule (>99 % ee), possessing stable helical chirality, has been synthesized by the rhodium(I)/difluorphos complex-catalyzed highly diastereo- and enantioselective intramolecular double [2+2+2] cycloaddition of a 2-naphthol- and benzene-linked hexayne. The collision between two terminal naphthalene rings destabilizes the helical chirality of the S-shaped double helicene-like molecule, but the introduction of two additional fused benzene rings significantly increases the configurational stability. Thus, no epimerization and racemization were observed even at 100 °C. The enantiopure S-shaped double helicene-like molecule forms a trimer through the multiple C−H⋅⋅⋅π and C−H⋅⋅⋅O interactions in the solid-state. The trimers stack to form columnar packing structures, in which neighboring stacks have opposite dipole directions. The accumulation of helical structures in the same direction in the S-shaped double helicene-like molecule enhanced the chiroptical properties.     

A mesoporous non-precious metal boride system: synthesis of mesoporous cobalt boride by strictly controlled chemical reduction

Generating high surface area mesoporous transition metal boride is interesting because the incorporation of boron atoms generates lattice distortions that lead to the formation of amorphous metal boride with unique properties in catalysis. Here we report the first synthesis of mesoporous cobalt boron amorphous alloy colloidal particles using a soft template-directed assembly approach. Dual reducing agents are used to precisely control the chemical reduction process of mesoporous cobalt boron nanospheres. The Earth-abundance of cobalt boride combined with the high surface area and mesoporous nanoarchitecture enables solar-energy efficient photothermal conversion of CO₂ into CO compared to non-porous cobalt boron alloys and commercial cobalt catalysts.

Generating high surface area mesoporous transition metal boride is challenging but interesting because incorporation of boron atoms can generate lattice distortion to form amorphous metal boride which has unique properties in catalysis.