Highly selective hydrogenation of acetophenone over supported amorphous alloy catalyst

Alpha-phenylethanol (PE) is an essential chemical in the field of medicine and synthetic perfumery. Therefore, in this work, we used a supported Ni–B–P amorphous alloy catalyst (Ni–B–P/SiO₂) in the hydrogenation of acetophenone (AP) to α-PE, which demonstrated excellent catalytic activity and selectivity, compared with Ni–B/SiO₂ (KBH₄ reduction of nickel salt). Ni–B–P/SiO₂ exhibited a high AP hydrogenation conversion of approximately 99%, whereas the PE selectivity reached up to 94%, which is approximately 1.4-fold higher than that of Ni–B/SiO₂ (about 69%), thereby directly proving the unique inhibition of AP hydrogenation over hydrogenation of P in the Ni–B catalytic system. The doped P in Ni–B–P/SiO₂ enhances the oxidation resistance and maintains the valence stability of Ni and B. Furthermore, sufficient experimental data were collected to determine the kinetic parameters. Based on the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model, we assumed that (i) AP and H₂ compete for adsorption on Ni–B–P/SiO₂; (ii) AP has strong adsorptive capacity on Ni–B–P/SiO₂; and (iii) PE coverage on the catalyst was negligible. Then, the dynamic equation was derived, which indicated that experimental data agree well with the dynamic model. Finally, the activation energy was confirmed to be 50.73 KJ/mol. This report will open up an avenue for the industrialization of amorphous alloy catalysts.     

Facile amidation of esters with aromatic amines promoted by lanthanide tris (amide) complexes

The development of catalysts capable of catalyzing amidation of esters with amines to construct amides under mild conditions is of great importance. Compared to aliphatic amines, the direct catalytic amidation of esters with less nucleophilic aromatic amines is rather difficult. Employing simple lanthanide tris (amide) complexes Ln[N (SiMe₃)₂]₃(μ-Cl)Li (THF)₃ as the catalysts, it was found a broad range of aromatic amines and esters were efficiently converted into various amides in good yields under mild conditions. A plausible mechanism for this transformation was experimentally supported as starting from an amide exchange reaction between the lanthanide tris (amide) complex and the substrate amine.     

Heteroleptic [Cu(NN)P2]+-type cuprous complexes and their structural modulation on phosphorescent color: Synthesis,structural characterization,properties, and theoretical calculations

Four new heteroleptic [Cu(NN)P₂]⁺-type cuprous complexes— 1 -TPP, 2 -POP, 3 -Xantphos, and 4 -DPPF—were designed and synthesized using a diimine ligand 2-(2′-pyridyl)benzoxazole (2-PBO) and different phosphine ligands (TPP, triphenylphosphine; POP, bis[2-(diphenylphosphino)phenyl]ether; Xantphos, 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-9,9-dimethylxanthene; DPPF, 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)-ferrocene). All complexes were characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic analysis (infrared, UV–Vis.), elemental analysis, and photoluminescence (PL). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction revealed complexes 1 – 4 as isolated cation complex structures with a tetrahedral CuN₂P₂ coordination geometry and diverse P–Cu–P angles. Their UV–Vis. absorption spectra exhibited a blue-shift sequence in wavelength with an enlarged P–Cu–P angle from 4 to 2 then to 3 and then to 1 . The PL emission peaks of 1 – 3 also exhibited a similar blue-shift sequence ( 2 → 3 → 1 ). Their PL lifetime in microseconds (~7.5, 5.1, and 4.7 μs for 1 , 2 , and 3 , respectively) indicated that their PL behavior represents phosphorescence. Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculation and wavefunction analysis revealed that S₁ and T₁ states of 1 – 3 should be assigned as metal–ligand and ligand–ligand charge-transfer (ML + L'L)CT states. Their UV–Vis. absorption and phosphorescence should be attributed to the charge transfer from the P–Cu–P segment to the 2-PBO ligand. Therefore, as the P–Cu–P angle increased (lower HOMO), the energy of S₁ and T₁ states also increased, following the change of PL color.     

New Entanglement-Assisted Quantum MDS Codes Derived From Generalized Reed-Solomon Codes

International Journal of Theoretical Physics - Entanglement-assisted quantum error-correcting codes (abbreviate to EAQECCs) expand the usual paradigm of quantum error correction by allowing two...     

Review of highly charged ion production with ECR ion source and the future opportunities for HCI physics

In recent years, there is very intense worldwide research and development work on electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS). Remarkable progress represented by the third generation superconducting ECRIS has been made with regards of intense highly charged ion beam production such as >600 eμA Ar¹⁶⁺, >10 eμA Ar¹⁸⁺, and hundreds of enA He-like Kr³⁴⁺. A low energy heavy ion platform named Low Energy heavy ion Accelerator Facility (LEAF) that features a next generation 45 GHz ECRIS, a 300 kV high voltage platform, a 0.5 MeV/u radio-frequency quadrupole, and several multidisciplinary experimental terminals is under construction at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP). This paper will report on the recent progress with ECRIS dedicated to highly charged ions and the status of LEAF at IMP that will provide new opportunities for highly charged ion physics in the near future.     

Analysis of variations in the contents of steroidal saponins in Fructus Tribuli during stir-frying treatment

Just as natural saponins transform into aglycones, secondary glycosides and their derivatives using biotransformation technology, steroidal saponins may also undergo similar transformation after stir-frying. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the variations and the reasons for these variations in the contents of steroidal saponins in Fructus Tribuli (FT) during a stir-frying treatment. Stir-fried FT was processed in different time–temperature conditions. An UHPLC–MS/MS method was established and fully validated for quantitative analysis. In addition, the simulation processing products of tribuluside A, terrestroside B, terrestrosin K, terrestrosin D and 25R-tribulosin were determined by qualitative analysis using UHPLC–Q-TOF–MS. The established UHPLC–MS/MS method provides a rapid, flexible, and reliable method for the quality assessment of FT. The present study revealed that furostanol saponins with a C22-OH group could transform into corresponding furostanol saponins with a C-20–C-22 double bond (FSDB) via dehydroxylation. Additionally, FSDB could be successively converted into its secondary glycosides via a deglycosylation reaction. The transformation of spirostanol saponins into corresponding aglycones via deglycosylation led to a decrease in spirostanol saponins and an increase in aglycones. The results of this research provided scientific evidence of variation and structural transformation among steroidal saponins. These findings might be helpful for elucidating the processing mechanism of FT.     

Comparative proteomic analysis of round and elongated spermatids during spermiogenesis in mice

Spermiogenesis in mammals is an exclusive process during which haploid round spermatids mature into spermatozoa in the testis. Any abnormality in the process of spermiogenesis may result in male infertility. The aim of the present study was to characterize the differentially expressed proteins between round and elongated spermatids in mice using label-free quantitative mass spectrometry. Of the 2411 proteins identified in this study, 333 were differentially expressed with a ≥10-fold change, including 208 upregulated proteins and 125 downregulated proteins in round spermatids relative to elongated spermatids. Gene Ontology analysis showed that these differentially expressed proteins were categorized into 10 types of subcellular localizations, 9 molecular functions, and were involved in 9 biological processes. All the identified proteins participated in 268 different pathways. In addition, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and the proteasome pathway, autophagy, lysosome, and apoptosis pathways were involved in the mechanism of spermiogenesis. Our data may provide valuable information for a better understanding of spermiogenesis and help improve the diagnosis and treatment of male factor infertility.     

Strategies for the Controlled Covalent Double Functionalization of Graphene Oxide

Graphene oxide (GO) is a versatile platform with unique properties that have found broad applications in the biomedical field. Double functionalization is a key aspect in the design of multifunctional GO with combined imaging, targeting, and therapeutic properties. Compared to noncovalent functionalization, covalent strategies lead to GO conjugates with a higher stability in biological fluids. However, only a few double covalent functionalization approaches have been developed so far. The complexity of GO makes the derivatization of the oxygenated groups difficult to control. The combination of a nucleophilic epoxide ring opening with the derivatization of the hydroxyl groups through esterification or Williamson reaction was investigated. The conditions were selective and mild, thus preserving the structure of GO. Our strategy of double functionalization holds great potential for different applications in which the derivatization of GO with different molecules is needed, especially in the biomedical field.     

Optimal control and stability analysis of an online game addiction model with two stages

In this paper, we establish a mathematical model of online game addiction with two stages to research the dynamic properties of it. The existence of all equilibria is obtained, and the basic reproduction number is calculated by the method of next-generation matrix. The global asymptotic stability of disease-free equilibrium (DFE) is proved by comparison principle, and the global asymptotic stability of endemic equilibrium (EE) is proved by constructing an appropriate Lyapunov function. Then we use the Pontryagin's maximum principle to find the optimal solution of the model, so that the number of infected people can be minimized. In numerical simulation, firstly, we validate the global stability of DFE and EE. Secondly, we consider three kind of control measures (treatment, isolation, and education) and divide them into four cases. The models with control and without control are solved numerically by using forward and backward sweep Runge-Kutta method. In order to achieve the best control effect, we suggest that three kind of measures should be used simultaneously according to the optimal control strategy.     

Well-posedness for the massive nonlinear wave equation on asymptotically AdS spacetimes

In this paper, we prove some well-posedness theorems for the nonlinear massive wave equation (with the mass satisfying the Breitenlohner-Freedman bound) on asymptotically anti-de Sitter spaces. The solution is constructed by contraction mapping method and also as a limit of solutions to an initial boundary value problem with boundary at a finite location in spacetime by finally pushing the boundary out to infinity. The solution obtained is unique within the energy class.