Oxidative aromatization of Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines by aqueous hydrogen peroxide-acetic acid

A simple method for the oxidative aromatization of Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines to the corresponding pyridines is achieved by using hydrogen peroxide as green oxidant and acetic acid as catalyst in aqueous solution.     

Single-crystalline LaB6 nanowires

Lanthanum hexaboride nanowires produced by chemical vapor deposition are single-crystalline and grown along the [111] direction. Streaks appearing in the electron diffraction spots indicate the lateral direction perpendicular to the nanowire growth axis.     

Voltammetric determination of buspirone

The electroanalytical chemical properties of buspirone are reported in this paper. A sensitive single sweep voltammetric procedure for trace buspirone determination was developed. The detection limit is 5.0 x 10(-9)M. The method has been applied to the determination of buspirone in blood serum by simple dilution in a buffer.     

Novel preparation of organic polymer-based monolithic column by microwave irradation

Microwave irradiation was firstly attempted for the preparation of organic-based monoliths of poly（styrene-divinylbenzene- methacrylic acid）, which single step in situ polymerization was carried out during 15 min. The colunm permeability, electrophoretic and chromatographac behaviors were comparatively evaluated using pressure-assisted CEC, GEC and low pressure-driven separation modes. The largest theoretical plates for the preparing column could be close to 18,0000 plates/m for thiourea in the mode of p-CEC. It provided a viable alternative to traditional initiation means for the perparation of monolithic capillary columns.     

Over 18% binary organic solar cells enabled by isomerization of non-fullerene acceptors with alkylthiophene side chains

Side-chain engineering has been demonstrated as an effective method for fine-tuning the optical, electrical, and morphological properties of organic semiconductors toward efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). In this work, three isomeric non-fullerene small molecule acceptors (SMAs), named BTP-4F-T2C8, BTP-4F-T2EH and BTP-4F-T3EH, with linear and branched alkyl chains substituted on the α or β positions of thiophene as the side chains, were synthesized and systematically investigated. The results demonstrate that the size and substitution position of alkyl side chains can greatly affect the electronic properties, molecular packing as well as crystallinity of the SMAs. After blending with donor polymer D18-Cl, the prominent device performance of 18.25% was achieved by the BTP-4F-T3EH-based solar cells, which is higher than those of the BTP-4F-T2EH-based (17.41%) and BTP-4F-T2C8-based (15.92%) ones. The enhanced performance of the BTP-4F-T3EH-based devices is attributed to its stronger crystallinity, higher electron mobility, suppressed biomolecular recombination, and the appropriate intermolecular interaction with the donor polymer. This work reveals that the side chain isomerization strategy can be a practical way in tuning the molecular packing and blend morphology for improving the performance of organic solar cells.

     

Carbonyl allylation of aldehydes catalyzed by a silica-supported poly-γ-diphenylarsinopropylsiloxane palladium(0) complex

A silica-supported poly-γ-diphenylarsinopropylsiloxane palladium(0) complex has been prepared from γ-chloropropyltriethoxysilane via immobilization on fumed silica, followed by reacting with potassium diphenylarsenide and palladium chloride, and then the reduction with hydrazine hydrate. The palladium(0) complex has been found to catalyze the allylation of aldehydes via the formation of π-allylpalladium complexes, using allylic chlorides as allylating agent and SnCl₂ as reducing agent. This polymeric palladium complex can be recovered and reused.     

Pseudobond ab initio QM/MM approach and its applications to enzyme reactions

This perspective article mainly focuses on the development and applications of a pseudobond ab initio QM/MM approach to study enzyme reactions. The following aspects of methodology development are discussed: the approaches for the QM/MM covalent boundary problem, an efficient iterative optimization procedure, the methods to determine enzyme reaction paths, and the approaches to calculate free energy change in enzyme reactions. Several applications are described to illustrate the capability of the methods. Finally, future directions are discussed.     

Raising the conductivity of crystalline polymer electrolytes by aliovalent doping

Polymer electrolytes, salts dissolved in solid polymers, hold the key to realizing all solid-state devices such as rechargeable lithium batteries, electrochromic displays, or SMART windows. For 25 years conductivity was believed to be confined to amorphous polymer electrolytes, all crystalline polymer electrolytes were thought to be insulators. However, recent results have demonstrated conductivity in crystalline polymer electrolytes, although the levels at room temperature are too low for application. Here we show, for the first time, that it is possible to raise significantly the level of ionic conductivity by aliovalent doping. The conductivity may be raised by 1.5 orders of magnitude if the SbF6- ion in the crystalline conductor poly(ethylene oxide)6:LiSbF6 is replaced by less than 5 mol % SiF6(2-), thus introducing additional, mobile, Li+ ions into the structure to maintain electroneutrality.     

Electrocatalysis of Metalloporphyrins(Ⅷ)——Electrocatalytic Reduction of Molecular Oxygen with Water-Soluble Cobalt (Ⅱ) Tetrakis(4-Trimethyl Ammonium Phenyl) Porphyrin Catalyst

Reported here is the electrocatalytic reduction of molecular oxygen in the presence of water-soluble cobalt(Ⅱ) tetrakis(4-trimethyl ammonium phenyl) porphyrin (Co(Ⅱ)TTAPP) as catalyst in solutions of various pH values. The overpotential of molecular oxygen reduction is reduced by ca. 200-400 mV in acidic and neutral solutions compared with several decades of millivolts in alkaline solutions, indicating that Co(Ⅱ)TTAPP possesses much higher catalytic activity in acidic and neutral solutions than in alkaline. H2TTAPP in solutions of various pH exhibits no significant catalytic activity for oxygen reduction. The significant difference in the electrocatalytic activity of Co(Ⅱ)TTAPP from that of H2TTAPP for oxygen reduction indicates that the electrocatalytic activity of Co(Ⅱ)TTAPP should be attributed to the central cobalt atom (Co(Ⅱ)) coordinated by N4 internal ring in Co(Ⅱ)TTAPP. The total number of electrons involved in oxygen reduction electrocatalyzed by Co (Ⅱ)TTAPP is 2, and the product of suc     

Spectrofluorimetic determination of cysteine based on the fluorescence inhibition of Cd(II)-8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulphonic acid complex by cysteine

A spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of cysteine at trace and ultra trace levels (0-1.82 x 10(-5) mol l(-1)) has been developed. It is based on the efficient inhibition action of cysteine on the fluorescent system of Cd(II)-8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulphonic acid complex (Cd(II)-HQS) (lambda(ex) 364.8 nm, lambda(em) 510.4 nm) solution at pH 8.5. The method has been applied to protein hydrolysate and cystine electrolyte samples.