Molecular design of free volume as a route to low-kappa dielectric materials

Polymers incorporating the triptycene subunit were prepared for the molecular-level design of low dielectric constant (low-kappa) materials that can be used to manufacture faster integrated circuits. Triptycenes having restricted rotation by multiple point attachment to the polymer backbone are shown to introduce free volume into the films, thereby lowering their dielectric constants. The triptycene containing polymers exhibit a number of desirable properties including low-water absorption and high thermal stability. Systematic studies wherein comparisons are made between two separate classes of triptycene polymers and their non-triptycene containing analogues demonstrate that proper insertion of triptycenes into a polymer backbone can give rise to a reduction in the material's dielectric constant while also improving its mechanical properties. These characteristics are desired by the semiconductor industry for the next generation of microprocessors and memory to provide insulation of the increasingly shrinking features.     

Preparation of a Star Network PEG-based Gel Polymer Electrolyte and Its Application to Electrochromic Devices

A star network polymer with a pentaerythritol core linking four PEG-block polymeric arms was synthesized, and its corresponding gel polymer electrolyte based on lithium perchlorate and plasticizers EC/PC with the character being colorless and highly transparent has been also prepared. The polymer host was characterized and confirmed to be of a star network and an amorphous structure by FTIR, ^1H NMR and XRD studies. The polymer host hold good mechanical properties for pentaerythritol cross-linking. Maximum ionic conductivity of the prepared polymer electrolyte has reached 8.83 × 10 ^-4 S·cm^-1 at room temperature. Thermogravimetry （TG） of the polymer electrolyte showed that the thermal stability was up to at least 150 ℃. The gel polymer electrolyte was further evaluated in electrochromic devices fabricated by transparent PET-ITO and electrochromically active viologen derivative films, and its excellent performance promised the usage of the gel polymer electrolyte as ionic conductor material in electrochrornic devices.     

3-Aminooxetanes: versatile 1,3-amphoteric molecules for intermolecular annulation reactions

Despite the versatility of amphoteric molecules, stable and easily accessible ones are still limitedly known. As a result, the discovery of new amphoteric reactivity remains highly desirable. Herein we introduce 3-aminooxetanes as a new family of stable and readily available 1,3-amphoteric molecules and systematically demonstrated their amphoteric reactivity toward polarized π-systems in a diverse range of intermolecular [3 + 2] annulations. These reactions not only enrich the reactivity of oxetanes, but also provide convergent access to valuable heterocycles.

Despite the versatility of amphoteric molecules, stable and easily accessible ones are still limitedly known.

Amphoteric molecules, which bear both nucleophilic and electrophilic sites with orthogonal reactivity, represent an attractive platform for the development of chemoselective transformations.¹ For example, isocyanides are well-established 1,1-amphoteric molecules, with the terminal carbon being both nucleophilic and electrophilic, and this feature has enabled their exceptional reactivity in numerous multi-component reactions.² In the past few decades, substantial effort has been devoted to the search for new amphoteric molecules.^1–5 Among them, 1,3-amphoteric molecules proved to be versatile. The Yudin and Beauchemin laboratories have independently developed two types of such molecules, α-aziridine aldehydes and amino isocyanates, respectively.^4,5 With an electrophilic carbon and a nucleophilic nitrogen in relative 1,3-positions, these molecules are particularly useful for the chemoselective synthesis of heterocycles with high bond-forming efficiency without protective groups (Fig. 1). However, such elegant amphoteric systems still remain scarce. Therefore, the development of new stable amphoteric molecules with easy access remains highly desirable.Open in a separate windowFig. 1Representative [1,3]-amphoteric molecules versus 3-aminooxetanes.In this context, herein we introduce 3-aminooxetanes as a new type of 1,3-amphoteric molecules and systematically demonstrate their reactivity in a range of [3 + 2] annulations, providing rapid access to diverse heterocycles. Notably, 3-aminooxetanes are bench-stable and either commercially available or easily accessible. However, their amphoteric reactivity has not been appreciated previously.Oxetane is a useful functional group in both drug discovery and organic synthesis.^6–9 Owing to the ring strain, it is prone to nucleophilic ring-opening, in which it serves as an electrophile (Scheme 1A).^6–8 We envisioned that, if a nucleophilic group is installed in the 3-position (e.g., amino group), such molecules should exhibit 1,3-amphoteric reactivity due to the presence of both nucleophilic and electrophilic sites (Scheme 1B). Importantly, the 1,3-relative position is crucial for inhibiting self-destructive intra- or intermolecular ring-opening (i.e. the 3-nucleophilic site attack on oxetane itself) due to high barriers. Thus, such orthogonality is beneficial to their stability. In contrast, the nucleophilic site is expected to react with an external polarized π bond (e.g., X = Y, Scheme 1B), which enables a better-positioned nucleophile (Y) to attack the oxetane and cyclize. Thus, a formal [3 + 2] annulation should be expected. Unlike the well-known S_N2 reactivity of oxetanes with simple bond formation, this amphoteric reactivity would greatly enrich the chemistry of oxetanes with multiple bond formations and provide expedient access to various heterocycles. In contrast to the conventional approaches that require presynthesis of advanced intermediates (e.g., intramolecular ring-opening),⁸ the exploitation of such amphoteric reactivity in an intermolecular convergent manner from simple substrates would be more practically useful. Moreover, more activation modes could be envisioned in addition to oxetane activation. In 2015, Kleij and coworkers reported an example of cyclization between 3-aminooxetane and CO₂ in 55% yield, which provided a pioneering precedent.¹⁰ However, a systematic study to fully reveal such amphoteric reactivity in a broad context remains unknown in the literature.Open in a separate windowScheme 1Typical oxetane reactivity and the new amphoteric reactivity.To test our hypothesis, we began with the commercially available 3-aminooxetanes 1a and 1b as the model substrates. Phenyl thioisocyanate 2a and CS₂ were initially employed as reaction partners, as they both have a polarized C S bond as well as a relatively strong sulfur nucleophilic motif. Moreover, the resulting desired products, iminothiazolidines and mercaptothiazolidines, are both heterocycles with important biological applications (Fig. 2).¹¹ To our delight, simple mixing these two types of reactants in DCM resulted in spontaneous reactions at room temperature without any catalyst. The corresponding [3 + 2] annulation products iminothiazolidine 3a and mercaptothiazolidine 4a were both formed with excellent efficiency (Scheme 2). It is worth mentioning that catalyst-free ring-opening of an oxetane ring is rarely known, particularly for intermolecular reactions.^6–9 In this case, the high efficiency is likely attributed to the suitable choice and perfect position of the in situ generated sulfur nucleophile.Open in a separate windowFig. 2Selected bioactive molecules containing iminothiazolidine and mercaptothiazolidine motifs.Open in a separate windowScheme 2Initial results between 3-aminooxetanes and thiocarbonyl compounds.The catalyst-free annulation protocol is general with respect to various 3-aminooxetanes and isothiocyanates. A range of iminothiazolidines and mercaptothiazolidines were synthesized with high efficiency under mild conditions (Scheme 3). Many of them were obtained in quantitative yield. Quaternary carbon centers could also be generated from 3-substituted 3-aminooxetanes (e.g., 3j). The structure of product 3b was unambiguously confirmed by X-ray crystallography.Open in a separate windowScheme 3Formal [3 + 2] annulation with isothiocyanates and CS₂. Reaction conditions: 1 (0.3–0.4 mmol), 2 (1.1 equiv.) or CS₂ (1.5 equiv.), DCM (2 mL), RT, 3 h for 3 and 36 h for 4. Yields are for the isolated products.With the initial success of thiocarbonyl partners, we next turned our attention to isocyanates, in which the carbonyl group serves as the [3 + 2] annulation motif. Compared with sulfur as the nucleophilic site in the above cases, the oxygen atom is less nucleophilic. As expected, initial tests of the reactivity by mixing 1b and 5a resulted in no desired annulation product 6a in the absence of a catalyst (Table 1, entry 1). Next, Brønsted acids, including TsOH and the super acid HNTf₂, were examined as catalysts, but with no success (entries 2 and 3). We then resorted to various Lewis acids, particularly those oxophilic ones, in hope of activating the oxetane unit. Unfortunately, many of them still remained ineffective (e.g., ZnCl₂, AuCl, and FeCl₃). However, to our delight, further screening of stronger Lewis acids helped identify Sc(OTf)₃, Zn(OTf)₂, and In(OTf)₃ to be effective at room temperature, leading to the desired iminooxazolidine product 6a in good yield (entries 7–9). Its structure was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Nevertheless, aiming to search for a cheaper catalyst, we continued to optimize this reaction at a higher temperature using previous ineffective catalysts. Indeed, FeCl₃ was found to be effective at 80 °C (61% yield, entry 10), while Brønsted acid TsOH remained ineffective at this temperature (entry 11). Notably, decreasing the loading of FeCl₃ to 1 mol% led to a higher yield (89% yield, entry 12). However, further decreasing to 0.5 mol% resulted in slightly diminished efficiency (entry 13).Reaction conditions for annulation with isocyanates^a

Electrochemical insertion of magnesium ions into V2O5 from aprotic electrolytes with varied water content

The electrochemical performance of V2O5 has been studied in propylene carbonate (PC)-containing magnesium perchlorate [Mg(ClO4)2] electrolytes in view of their application as positive electrode in the rechargeable magnesium batteries. V2O5 exhibited good properties in hosting magnesium ions and its electrochemical performance depended on the amount of H2O in the electrolytes. The highest first discharge specific capacities of V2O5 electrode was up to 158.6 mAh/g in 1 mol dm(-3) Mg(ClO4)2 + 1.79 mol dm(-3) H2O/PC electrolytes. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and charging-discharging tests showed that a reasonable amount of H2O in the electrolyte solution facilitated the electrochemical performance of V2O5 electrodes.     

Elucidating dominant factors of PO43-, Cd2+ and nitrobenzene removal by biochar: A comparative investigation based on distinguishable biochars

Four distinct biochars were employed to remove three typical pollutants, meanwhile, path analysis, a multi-statistical regression method, was performed to elucidate the dominant factors of biochar adsorption. This work can provide a new insight to prepare a targeted biochar as adsorbents.     

Mammalian cell growth studiedin situ by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Fourier transform infrared techniques were used to monitor mammalian cell growth plated on attenuated total reflection (ATR) crystals. Consistently, the growth kinetics plots generated from the obtained spectra demonstrated a sigmoidal curve representing a sequence of slow, rapid, then tapering cell growth which correlated well with non-spectral cell growth determinations. Significant advantages over traditional methods of measuring cell growth kinetics are demonstrated. The technique has promising potential to be used to study events in areas such as toxicology and cell biology.     

三溴偶氮胂催化光度法测定痕量铁

本文研究了硫酸介质中痕量 Fe(Ⅲ)催化加速抗坏血酸、溴酸钾和三溴偶氮胂之间的褪色反应及动力学条件,建立了动力学光度法测定痕量Fe(Ⅲ)的新方法.方法灵敏度为1.82×10~(-12)g·ml~(-1).测定范围为Fe(Ⅲ)0～30ng/25ml.已用于人发和食品中痕量铁的测定.结果满意.     

开链冠醚Schiff碱-稀土配合物的合成、表征及近红外发光光谱研究

合成了3个新型开链冠醚Schiff碱-稀土离子三元配合物RE(H2L)(Mq)(NO3)3,其中RE=Nd3 ,Er3 ,Yb3 ,配体H2L=N,N-双(邻羟苯亚甲基)-3,6-二氧杂-1,8-二氨基辛烷,Mq为8-羟基喹哪啶.采用元素分析、红外光谱(IR)、紫外-可见吸收光谱(UV-vis)、热重-差热分析(TG-DTG)等手段对配合物的组成结构进行了表征.测定了3种新型结构稀土三元配合物在不同温度(77 K和300 K)时的近红外发光光谱.     

Preparation,stability and two-dimensional ordered arrangement of gold nanoparticles capped by surfactants with different chain lengths

Gold nanoparticles modified with C10NH2, C12NH2, C16NH2 and C18NH2 respectively have been prepared by the reverse micelle method. Nanoparticles stability and their two-dimensional (2D) ordered arrangement were studied by UV-Vis absorption spectra and LB technique. The factors, such as the chain length and the size distribution of particles, which affect the 2D ordered arrangement formation, are discussed. Experimental results show that the longer the chain length of surfactants capping the gold nanoparticles, the more stable the nanoparticles, and the more ordered 2D arrangement of gold nanoparticles.     

不饱和链烃沸点的拓扑研究

基于邻接矩阵与边价 (fi)定义边价连接性指数 ( mF) ,其中的0 F ,1 F与 2 94种不饱和链烃 (包括烯烃、炔烃及烯炔烃 )的沸点 (Tb)关联 ,得到良好的数学模型 :ln( 70 0 -Tb) =6 5 2 3 3 1-0 0 0 4880 F2 -0 3 46771 F0 5(n =2 94,R =0 9979,R2 =0 995 8,F =3 490 4,S =5 12 ) ,该回归模型经Jackknife法检验具有总体稳健性 .可以预示 ,该指数将在定量构效关系研究中成为重要参数 .