New catalytic systems based on fluorine-containing titanium(iv) alkoxides for the synthesis of ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene and olefin elastomers

The catalytic activity of the systems based on titanium(iv) alkoxides (Ti(OPrⁱ)₄, Ti(OPrⁱ)₂(OCH(CF₃)₂)₂, and Ti(OCH(CF₃)₂)₄) and mixtures of alkylaluminum chlorides (Et₂AlCl or Et₃Al₂Cl₃) with dibutylmagnesium in ethylene polymerization and ethylene copolymerization with propylene and 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene was studied. Ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene with the molecular weight reaching 4.9 · 10⁶ Da was found to be formed in the homopolymerization reaction, whereas copolymerization gives ter-copolymers containing propylene (up to 35 mol.%) and 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (4.3 mol.%) units.

     

PASE synthesis of 1-azolyl-1H-1,2,4-triazoles by the reaction of diazoazoles with ethyl isocyanoacetate

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α-Diphenylphosphino-N-(pyrazin-2-yl)glycine as a ligand in Ni-catalyzed ethylene oligomerization

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Pericyclic reactions in the synthesis of new 5-aryl-5,6-dihydroquinolino[2,1-b]quinazolin-12-ones

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Vertically Grown Few-Layer MoS2 Nanosheets on Hierarchical Carbon Nanocages for Pseudocapacitive Lithium Storage with Ultrahigh-Rate Capability and Long-Term Recyclability

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is an intensively studied anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its high theoretical capacity, but it is still confronted by severe challenges of unsatisfactory rate capability and cycle life. Herein, few-layer MoS₂ nanosheets, vertically grown on hierarchical carbon nanocages (hCNC) by a facile hydrothermal method, introduce pseudocapacitive lithium storage owing to the highly exposed MoS₂ basal planes, enhanced conductivity, and facilitated electrolyte access arising from good hybridization with hCNC. Thus, the optimized MoS₂/hCNC exhibits reversible capacities of 1670 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ after 50 cycles, 621 mAh g⁻¹ at 5.0 A g⁻¹ after 500 cycles, and 196 mAh g⁻¹ at 50 A g⁻¹ after 2500 cycles, which are among the best for MoS₂-based anode materials. The specific power and specific energy, which can reach 16.1 kW and 252.8 Wh after 3000 cycles, respectively, indicate great potential in high-power and long-life LIBs. These findings suggest a promising strategy for exploring advanced anode materials with high reversible capacity, high-rate capability, and long-term recyclability.     

Trimetallic NiCoM catalysts (M = Mn,Fe, Cu) for methane conversion into synthesis gas

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The Role of Radical Bridges in Polynuclear Single-Molecule Magnets

Employing radical bridges between anisotropic metal ions has been a viable route to achieve high-performance single-molecule magnets (SMMs). While the bridges have been mainly considered for their ability to promote exchange interactions, the crystal-field effect arising from them has not been taken into account explicitly. This lack of consideration may distort the understanding and limit the development of the entire family. To shed light on this aspect, herein we report a theoretical investigation of a series of N -radical-bridged diterbium complexes. It is found that while promoting strong exchange coupling between the terbium ions, the N -radical induces a crystal field that interferes destructively with that of the outer ligands, and thus reduces the overall SMM behavior. Based on the theoretical results, we conclude that the SMM behavior in this series could be further maximized if the crystal field of the outer ligands is designed to be collinear with that of the radical bridge. This conclusion can be generalized to all exchange-coupled SMMs.     

Real-Space Interpretation of Interatomic Charge Transfer and Electron Exchange Effects by Combining Static and Kinetic Potentials and Associated Vector Fields**

Intricate behaviour of one-electron potentials from the Euler equation for electron density and corresponding gradient force fields in crystals was studied. Channels of locally enhanced kinetic potential and corresponding saddle Lagrange points were found between chemically bonded atoms. Superposition of electrostatic and kinetic potentials and electron density allowed partitioning any molecules and crystals into atomic - and potential-based -basins; -basins explicitly account for the electron exchange effect, which is missed for -ones. Phenomena of interatomic charge transfer and related electron exchange were explained in terms of space gaps between zero-flux surfaces of - and -basins. The gap between - and -basins represents the charge transfer, while the gap between - and -basins is a real-space manifestation of sharing the transferred electrons caused by the static exchange and kinetic effects as a response against the electron transfer. The regularity describing relative positions of -, -, and - basin boundaries between interacting atoms was proposed. The position of -boundary between - and -ones within an electron occupier atom determines the extent of transferred electron sharing. The stronger an H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bond is, the deeper hydrogen atom's -basin penetrates oxygen atom's -basin, while for covalent bonds a -boundary closely approaches a -one indicating almost complete sharing of the transferred electrons. In the case of ionic bonds, the same region corresponds to electron pairing within the -basin of an electron occupier atom.     

Excited State Dynamics of Isolated 6- and 8-Hydroxyquinoline Molecules

The photoinduced dynamics of isolated n-hydroxyquinoline (nHQ) molecules (n=6,8) was investigated in femtosecond pump-probe experiments. A qualitative difference was found between 8HQ and 6HQ. After an initial rapid decay corresponding to the departure of the initial wavepacket out of the Franck-Condon region of the excitation, the 8HQ probe signal decays to zero in 0.37 ps whereas a much longer time constant of 10.4 ps is observed in 6HQ. This interrogates on the role played by the intramolecular H-bond N HO which is at play the 8HQ molecule. Ab-initio were performed at the MCSCF/aug-cc-pVDZ level on the 8HQ molecule to help the discussion. A complex energy landscape was found, which includes a conical intersection.