CF3SO2Na as a Bifunctional Reagent: Electrochemical Trifluoromethylation of Alkenes Accompanied by SO2 Insertion to Access Trifluoromethylated Cyclic N-Sulfonylimines

An unprecedented electrochemical trifluoromethylation/SO₂ insertion/cyclization process has been achieved in an undivided cell in an atom-economic fashion. The protocol relies on tandem cyclization of N-cyanamide alkenes by using Langlois’ reagent as a source of both CF₃ and SO₂ under direct anodically oxidative conditions, in which two C−C bonds, two C−X bonds (N−S and S−C), and two rings were formed in a single operation. This transformation enabled efficient construction of various trifluoromethylated cyclic N-sulfonylimines from readily accessible materials.     

Doped Zero-Dimensional Cesium Zinc Halides for High-Efficiency Blue Light Emission

All-inorganic zero-dimensional (0D) metal halides have recently received increasing attention due to their excellent photoluminescence (PL) performance and high stability. Herein, we present the successful doping of copper(I) into 0D Cs₂ZnBr₄. The incorporating of Cu⁺ cations enables the originally weakly luminescent Cs₂ZnBr₄ to exhibit an efficient blue emission centered at around 465 nm, with a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 65.3 %. Detailed spectral characterizations, including ultrafast transient absorption (TA) techniques, were carried out to investigate the effect of Cu⁺ dopants and the origin of blue emission in Cs₂ZnBr₄:Cu. To further study the role of the A-site cation and halogen, A₂ZnCl₄:Cu (A=Cs, Rb) were also synthesized and found to generate intense sky-blue emission (PLQY≈73.1 %). This work represents an effective strategy for the development of environmentally friendly, low-cost and high-efficiency blue-emitting 0D all-inorganic metal halides.     

The Fe-N-C Nanozyme with Both Accelerated and Inhibited Biocatalytic Activities Capable of Accessing Drug–Drug Interactions

Emerging as a cost-effective and robust enzyme mimic, nanozymes have drawn increasing attention with broad applications ranging from cancer therapy to biosensing. Developing nanozymes with both accelerated and inhibited biocatalytic properties in a biological context is intriguing to peruse more advanced functions of natural enzymes, but remains challenging, because most nanozymes are lack of enzyme-like molecular structures. By re-visiting and engineering the well-known Fe-N-C electrocatalyst that has a heme-like Fe-N_x active sites, herein, it is reported that Fe-N-C could not only catalyze drug metabolization but also had inhibition behaviors similar to cytochrome P450 (CYP), endowing it a potential replacement of CYP for preliminary evaluation of massive potential chemicals, drug dosing guide, and outcome prediction. In addition, in contrast to electrocatalysts, the highly graphitic framework of Fe-N-C may not be obligatory for a competitive CYP-like activity.     

Independent Generation and Time-Resolved Detection of 2′-Deoxyguanosin-N2-yl Radicals

Guanine radicals are important reactive intermediates in DNA damage. Hydroxyl radical (HO^.) has long been believed to react with 2′-deoxyguanosine (dG) generating 2′-deoxyguanosin-N1-yl radical (dG(N1-H)^.) via addition to the nucleobase π-system and subsequent dehydration. This basic tenet was challenged by an alternative mechanism, in which the major reaction of HO^. with dG was proposed to involve hydrogen atom abstraction from the N2-amine. The 2′-deoxyguanosin-N2-yl radical (dG(N2-H)^.) formed was proposed to rapidly tautomerize to dG(N1-H)^.. We report the first independent generation of dG(N2-H)^. in high yield via photolysis of 1 . dG(N2-H)^. is directly observed upon nanosecond laser flash photolysis (LFP) of 1 . The absorption spectrum of dG(N2-H)^. is corroborated by DFT studies, and anti- and syn-dG(N2-H)^. are resolved for the first time. The LFP experiments showed no evidence for tautomerization of dG(N2-H)^. to dG(N1-H)^. within hundreds of microseconds. This observation suggests that the generation of dG(N1-H)^. via dG(N2-H)^. following hydrogen atom abstraction from dG is unlikely to be a major pathway when HO^. reacts with dG.     

Cross-Linked Polyphosphazene Hollow Nanosphere-Derived N/P-Doped Porous Carbon with Single Nonprecious Metal Atoms for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Heteroatom-doped polymers or carbon nanospheres have attracted broad research interest. However, rational synthesis of these nanospheres with controllable properties is still a great challenge. Herein, we develop a template-free approach to construct cross-linked polyphosphazene nanospheres with tunable hollow structures. As comonomers, hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene provides N and P atoms, tannic acid can coordinate with metal ions, and the replaceable third comonomer can endow the materials with various properties. After carbonization, N/P-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres were obtained with small particle size (≈50 nm) and high surface area (411.60 m² g⁻¹). Structural characterization confirmed uniform dispersion of the single atom transition metal sites (i.e., Co-N₂P₂) with N and P dual coordination. Electrochemical measurements and theoretical simulations revealed the oxygen reduction reaction performance. This work provides a solution for fabricating diverse heteroatom-containing polymer nanospheres and their derived single metal atom doped carbon catalysts.     

Facile Preparation of WO3−x Dots with Remarkably Low Toxicity and Uncompromised Activity as Co-reactants for Clinical Diagnosis by Electrochemiluminescence

The exceptional nature of WO_3−x dots has inspired widespread interest, but it is still a significant challenge to synthesize high-quality WO_3−x dots without using unstable reactants, expensive equipment, and complex synthetic processes. Herein, the synthesis of ligand-free WO_3−x dots is reported that are highly dispersible and rich in oxygen vacancies by a simple but straightforward exfoliation of bulk WS₂ and a mild follow-up chemical conversion. Surprisingly, the WO_3−x dots emerged as co-reactants for the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ with a comparable ECL efficiency to the well-known Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/tripropylamine (TPrA) system. Moreover, compared to TPrA, whose toxicity remains a critical issue of concern, the WO_3−x dots were ca. 300-fold less toxic. The potency of WO_3−x dots was further explored in the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with the most competitive limit of detection so far.     

Single-Atom Electrocatalysts from Multivariate Metal–Organic Frameworks for Highly Selective Reduction of CO2 at Low Pressures

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are of great interest because of their ultrahigh activity and selectivity. However, it is difficult to construct model SACs according to a general synthetic method, and therefore, discerning differences in activity of diverse single-atom catalysts is not straightforward. Herein, a general strategy for synthesis of single-atom metals implanted in N-doped carbon (M₁-N-C; M=Fe, Co, Ni and Cu) has been developed starting from multivariate metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). The M₁-N-C catalysts, featuring identical chemical environments and supports, provided an ideal platform for differentiating the activity of single-atom metal species. When employed in electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction, Ni₁-N-C exhibited a very high CO Faradaic efficiency (FE) up to 96.8 % that far surpassed Fe₁-, Co₁- and Cu₁-N-C. Remarkably, the best-performer, Ni₁-N-C, even demonstrated excellent CO FE at low CO₂ pressures, thereby representing a promising opportunity for the direct use of dilute CO₂ feedstock.     

Divergent Total Synthesis of Euphoranginol C,Euphoranginone D,ent-Trachyloban-3β-ol,ent-Trachyloban-3-one,Excoecarin E,and ent-16α-Hydroxy-atisane-3-one

A divergent synthetic approach to biogenetically related diterpenoids such as ent-kauranes, ent-trachylobanes, ent-beyerane, and ent-atisane has been developed. The unified synthetic route involves the De Mayo reaction to rapidly generate the bicyclo[3.2.1]-octane moiety of ent-kaurane. The key reactions also include bioinspired nucleophilic cyclopropanation generating the [3.2.1.0^2,7]-tricyclic core of ent-trachylobane and regioselective cyclopropane fragmentation furnishing ent-beyerane and ent-atisane through the nucleophilic attack and protonation of the cyclopropane ring. This strategy enables the asymmetric total syntheses of six diterpenoids from the commercially available geraniol.     

Smart Magnetic and Fluorogenic Photosensitizer Nanoassemblies Enable Redox-Driven Disassembly for Photodynamic Therapy

Stimuli-responsive smart photosensitizer (PS) nanoassemblies that allow enhanced delivery and controlled release of PSs are promising for imaging-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) of tumors. However, the lack of high-sensitivity and spatial-resolution signals and fast washout of released PSs from tumor tissues have impeded PDT efficacy in vivo. Herein, we report tumor targeting, redox-responsive magnetic and fluorogenic PS nanoassemblies ( NP-RGD ) synthesized via self-assembly of a cRGD- and disulfide-containing fluorogenic and paramagnetic small molecule ( 1-RGD ) for fluorescence/magnetic resonance bimodal imaging-guided tumor PDT. NP-RGD show high r₁ relaxivity but quenched fluorescence and PDT activity; disulfide reduction by glutathione (GSH) promotes efficient disassembly into a small-molecule probe ( 2-RGD ) and an organic PS (PPa-SH), which could further bind with intracellular albumin, allowing prolonged retention and cascade activation of fluorescence and PDT to ablate tumors.     

Photoassisted Selective Steam and Dry Reforming of Methane to Syngas Catalyzed by Rhodium–Vanadium Bimetallic Oxide Cluster Anions at Room Temperature

Photoassisted steam reforming and dry (CO₂) reforming of methane (SRM and DRM) at room temperature with high syngas selectivity have been achieved in the gas-phase catalysis for the first time. The catalysts used are bimetallic rhodium–vanadium oxide cluster anions of Rh₂VO_1–3⁻. Both the oxidation of methane and reduction of H₂O/CO₂ can take place efficiently in the dark while the pivotal step to govern syngas selectivity is photo-excitation of the reaction intermediates Rh₂VO_2,3CH₂⁻ to specific electronically excited states that can selectively produce CO and H₂. Electronic excitation over Rh₂VO_2,3CH₂⁻ to control the syngas selectivity is further confirmed from the comparison with the thermal excitation of Rh₂VO_2,3CH₂⁻, which leads to diversity of products. The atomic-level mechanism obtained from the well-controlled cluster reactions provides insight into the process of selective syngas production from the photocatalytic SRM and DRM reactions over supported metal oxide catalysts.