Conformational Control of Oligo(p‐phenyleneethynylene)s with Intrinsic Substituent Electronic Effects: Origin of the Twist in Pentiptycene‐Containing Systems

Dependence of the backbone planarity of oligo(p‐phenyleneethynylene)s (OPEs) on the intrinsic electronic character of substituents and on the nature of the solvent has been experimentally demonstrated with a series of center‐symmetrical five‐ring systems, pentiptycene‐pentiptycene‐arene‐pentiptycene‐pentiptycene, differing in the substituents on the central arene. In frozen 2‐methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF), the adjacent pentiptycene units prefer to be in a mutually twisted orientation when the substituents are electron‐withdrawing (F and amido), resulting in a TPPT or TTTT conformation, whereas a planarized PPPP backbone is favored in the case of electron‐donating substituents (alkyl and alkoxy). The propensity to adopt the PPPP form is generally enhanced by replacing MTHF with either methylcyclohexane or mixed ethanol/methanol as solvent. These observations reveal that the twist between adjacent pentiptycene units in OPEs is a consequence of the electronic rather than steric effects of iptycenyl substituents. The electronic effect of iptycenyl substituents is manifested in decreased phenylene π polarizability as the net effect of both electron‐donating hyperconjugation and an electron‐withdrawing inductive effect. Variable‐temperature electronic absorption and emission spectroscopies are the critical tools for this work. Our findings provide important guidelines for conformational and electronic engineering of OPEs and for the design of novel iptycene‐based organic electronic materials.     

Light-Driven Crawling of Molecular Crystals by Phase-Dependent Transient Elastic Lattice Deformation

The light-driven crawling of a molecular crystal that can form three phases, (α, β, and γ) is presented. Laser irradiation of the molecular crystal can generate phase-dependent transient elastic lattice deformation. The resulting elastic lattice deformation that follows scanning irradiation of a laser can actuate the different phases of molecular crystal to move with different velocity and direction. Because the γ phase has a large Young's modulus (ca. 26 GPa), a force of 0.1 μN can be generated under one laser spot. The generated force is sufficient to actuate the γ-formed molecular crystals in a wide dimensional range to move longitudinally at a velocity of about 60 μm min⁻¹, which is two orders of magnitude faster than the α and β phases.     

Tetradentate Gold(III) Complexes as Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence (TADF) Emitters: Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and High-Performance OLEDs with Long Operational Lifetime

Structurally robust tetradentate gold(III)-emitters have potent material applications but are rare and unprecedented for those displaying thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). Herein, a novel synthetic route leading to the preparation of highly emissive, charge-neutral tetradentate [C^C^N^C] gold(III) complexes with 5-5-6-membered chelate rings has been developed through microwave-assisted C−H bond activation. These complexes show high thermal stability and with emission origin (³IL, ³ILCT, and TADF) tuned by varying the substituents of the C^C^N^C ligand. With phenoxazine/diphenylamine substituent, we prepared the first tetradentate gold(III) complexes that are TADF emitters with emission quantum yields of up to 94 % and emission lifetimes of down to 0.62 μs in deoxygenated toluene. These tetradentate Au^III TADF emitters showed good performance in vacuum-deposited OLEDs with maximum EQEs of up to 25 % and LT₉₅ of up to 5280 h at 100 cd m⁻².     

Iron‐Catalyzed Highly Enantioselective cis‐Dihydroxylation of Trisubstituted Alkenes with Aqueous H2O2

Reliable methods for enantioselective cis‐dihydroxylation of trisubstituted alkenes are scarce. The iron(II) complex cis‐α‐[Fe^II(2‐Me₂‐BQPN)(OTf)₂], which bears a tetradentate N₄ ligand (Me₂‐BQPN=(R,R)‐N,N′‐dimethyl‐N,N′‐bis(2‐methylquinolin‐8‐yl)‐1,2‐diphenylethane‐1,2‐diamine), was prepared and characterized. With this complex as the catalyst, a broad range of trisubstituted electron‐deficient alkenes were efficiently oxidized to chiral cis‐diols in yields of up to 98 % and up to 99.9 % ee when using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as oxidant under mild conditions. Experimental studies (including ¹⁸O‐labeling, ESI‐MS, NMR, EPR, and UV/Vis analyses) and DFT calculations were performed to gain mechanistic insight, which suggested possible involvement of a chiral cis‐Fe^V(O)₂ reaction intermediate as an active oxidant. This cis‐[Fe^II(chiral N₄ ligand)]²⁺/H₂O₂ method could be a viable green alternative/complement to the existing OsO₄‐based methods for asymmetric alkene dihydroxylation reactions.     

Covalent Assembly of MoS2 Nanosheets with SnS Nanodots as Linkages for Lithium/Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Weak van der Waals interactions between interlayers of two‐dimensional layered materials result in disabled across‐interlayer electron transfer and poor layered structural stability, seriously deteriorating their performance in energy applications. Herein, we propose a novel covalent assembly strategy for MoS₂ nanosheets to realize unique MoS₂/SnS hollow superassemblies (HSs) by using SnS nanodots as covalent linkages. The covalent assembly based on all‐inorganic and carbon‐free concept enables effective across‐interlayer electron transfer, facilitated ion diffusion kinetics, and outstanding mechanical stability, which are evidenced by experimental characterization, DFT calculations, and mechanical simulations. Consequently, the MoS₂/SnS HSs exhibit superb rate performance and long cycling stability in lithium‐ion batteries, representing the best comprehensive performance in carbon‐free MoS₂‐based anodes to date. Moreover, the MoS₂/SnS HSs also show excellent sodium storage performance in sodium‐ion batteries.     

Transition‐Metal‐Free C(sp2)–C(sp2) Cross‐Coupling of Diazo Quinones with Catechol Boronic Esters

A transition‐metal‐free C(sp²)?C(sp²) bond formation reaction by the cross‐coupling of diazo quinones with catechol boronic esters was developed. With this protocol, a variety of biaryls and alkenyl phenols were obtained in good to high yields under mild conditions. The reaction tolerates various functionalities and is applicable to the derivatization of pharmaceuticals and natural products. The synthetic utility of the method was demonstrated by the short synthesis of multi‐substituted triphenylenes and three bioactive natural products, honokiol, moracin M, and stemofuran A. Mechanistic studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the reaction involves attack of the boronic ester by a singlet quinone carbene followed by a 1,2‐rearrangement through a stepwise mechanism.     

Comparative Phosphoproteomic Analysis of Sporulated Oocysts and Tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii Reveals Stage-Specific Patterns

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan of severe threat to humans and livestock, whose life history harbors both gamic and apogamic stages. Chinese 1 (ToxoDB#9) was a preponderant genotype epidemic in food-derived animals and humans in China, with a different pathogenesis from the strains from the other nations of the world. Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of proteins were critical mediators of the biology, developmental transforms, and pathogenesis of protozoan parasites. The phosphoprotein profiling and the difference between the developmental phases of T. gondii, contributing to development and infectivity, remain unknown. A quantitative phosphoproteomic approach using IBT integrated with TiO₂ affinity chromatography was applied to identify and analyze the difference in the phosphoproteomes between the sporulated oocysts and the tachyzoites of the virulent ToxoDB#9 (PYS) strain of T. gondii. A total of 4058 differential phosphopeptides, consisting of 2597 upregulated and 1461 downregulated phosphopeptides, were characterized between sporulated the oocysts and tachyzoites. Twenty-one motifs extracted from the upregulated phosphopeptides contained 19 serine motifs and 2 threonine motifs (GxxTP and TP), whereas 16 motifs identified from downregulated phosphopeptides included 13 serine motifs and 3 threonine motifs (KxxT, RxxT, and TP). Beyond the traditional kinases, some infrequent classes of kinases, including Ab1, EGFR, INSR, Jak, Src and Syk, were found to be corresponding to motifs from the upregulated and downregulated phosphopeptides. Remarkable functional properties of the differentially expressed phosphoproteins were discovered by GO analysis, KEGG pathway analysis, and STRING analysis. S8GFS8 (DNMT1-RFD domain-containing protein) and S8F5G5 (Histone kinase SNF1) were the two most connected peptides in the kinase-associated network. Out of these, phosphorylated modifications in histone kinase SNF1 have functioned in mitosis and interphase of T. gondii, as well as in the regulation of gene expression relevant to differentiation. Our study discovered a remarkable difference in the abundance of phosphopeptides between the sporulated oocysts and tachyzoites of the virulent ToxoDB#9 (PYS) strain of T. gondii, which may provide a new resource for understanding stage-specific differences in PTMs and may enhance the illustration of the regulatory mechanisms contributing to the development and infectivity of T. gondii.     

分光技术在自由电子激光结合里德堡态氢原子飞行时间谱装置中的应用

本文描述了一种应用于自由电子激光结合高里德堡态氢原子飞行时间谱装置中的分光方法,以及该方法应用于小分子(如₂S)光解动力学研究中的必要性. 拉曼-α辐射(121.6 nm),用作H原子产物探测的激光,是在Kr/Ar气介质中利用四波混频产生的. 利用透镜对不同波长的光有不同的折射率,四波混频后的混合光在经过一片离轴的氟化锂透镜后,121.6 nm的激光将会与212.6和845 nm在空间上分开. 在激光到达反应中心前利用挡板挡住212.6和845 nm的激光,只让121.6 nm的光经过反应中心,从而消除212.6 nm激光产生的背景信号对实验的干扰. 结合自由电子激光,成功地研究了H₂S在122.95 nm波长下的光解动力学,采集到了产物时间飞行谱. 本文展示了转换得到的产物总平动能谱,解离机理与121.6 nm波长下的结果相似. 实验结果显示,该方法成功地解决了分子在VUV波段进行光解动力学研究的难题,消除了这些分子在紫外光波段因为强烈吸收而产生的背景信号.     

钌卟啉/MCM-41催化剂的制备、表征及性质

应用３氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷对ＭＣＭ４１ 介孔分子筛进行了改性． 改性产物（ 记为ＭＣＭ４１（ｍ））具有较强的装载钌卟啉［Ｒｕ（ Ⅱ）Ｌ（ＣＯ）（ＥｔＯＨ）］ （Ｌ＝ ｍｅｓｏｔｅｔｒａｋｉｓ（４ｃｌｏｒｏｐｈｅｎｙｌ）ｐｏｒｐｈｙｒｉｎ） 的能力． 制备了裹载０－１％ ～８－３ ％ 钌卟啉的产物（ 记为Ｒｕ／ ＭＣＭ４１（ｍ）） ． 应用Ｘ 射线衍射、差热热失重分析和紫外可见光谱等方法对裹载产物进行了表征． 结果表明,钌卟啉在ＭＣＭ４１（ｍ） 孔道中是以单分子态存在,而不是以晶态存在． 装载后钌卟啉仍保持其基本结构,并且热稳定性增加． 轴向配体取代反应使钌卟啉固定在ＭＣＭ４１（ｍ） 孔道表面上． 低钌含量的Ｒｕ／ＭＣＭ４１（ｍ） 具有高催化活性,这是有效的位置分离和扩散孔道通畅的结果． 以０－１ ％ Ｒｕ／ＭＣＭ４１（ｍ） 和自由的钌卟啉为催化剂进行的６ 种烯烃的氧化反应结果表明,前者的催化转换数是后者的２０ ～４０倍．Ｒｕ／ ＭＣＭ４１（ｍ） 催化剂具有特殊的形状选择性,较长的寿命, 并且容易过滤回收．