Oxygenation and chlorination of aromatic hydrocarbons with hydrochloric acid photosensitized by 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium under visible light irradiation

Efficient photocatalytic oxygenation of toluene occurs under visible light irradiation of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium (Acr⁺–Mes) in oxygen-saturated acetonitrile containing toluene and aqueous hydrochloric acid with a xenon lamp for 15 h. The oxygenated products, benzoic acid (70 %) and benzaldehyde (30 %), were formed after the photoirradiation. The photocatalytic reaction is initiated by intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer from the mesitylene moiety to the singlet excited state of the Acr⁺ moiety of Acr⁺–Mes, which affords the electron-transfer state, Acr^?–Mes^?+. The Mes^?+ moiety can oxidize chloride ion (Cl^?) by electron transfer to produce chlorine radical (Cl^?), whereas the Acr^? moiety can reduce O₂ to O ₂ ^?? . The Cl^? radical produced abstracts a hydrogen from toluene to afford benzyl radical in competition with the bimolecular radical coupling of Cl^?. The benzyl radical reacts with O₂ rapidly to afford the peroxyl radical, leading to the oxygenated product, benzaldehyde. Benzaldehyde is readily further photooxygenated to yield benzoic acid with Acr^?–Mes^?+. In the case of an aromatic compound with electron-donating substituents, 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene, photocatalytic chlorination occurred efficiently under the same photoirradiation conditions to yield a monochloro-substituted compound, 2,4,6-trimethoxychlorobenzene.     

Photosynthetic Antenna‐Reaction Center Mimicry with a Covalently Linked Monostyryl Boron‐Dipyrromethene–Aza‐Boron‐Dipyrromethene–C60 Triad

An efficient functional mimic of the photosynthetic antenna‐reaction center has been designed and synthesized. The model contains a near‐infrared‐absorbing aza‐boron‐dipyrromethene (ADP) that is connected to a monostyryl boron‐dipyrromethene (BDP) by a click reaction and to a fullerene (C₆₀) using the Prato reaction. The intramolecular photoinduced energy and electron‐transfer processes of this triad as well as the corresponding dyads BDP‐ADP and ADP‐C₆₀ have been studied with steady‐state and time‐resolved absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic methods in benzonitrile. Upon excitation, the BDP moiety of the triad is significantly quenched due to energy transfer to the ADP core, which subsequently transfers an electron to the fullerene unit. Cyclic and differential pulse voltammetric studies have revealed the redox states of the components, which allow estimation of the energies of the charge‐separated states. Such calculations show that electron transfer from the singlet excited ADP (¹ADP*) to C₆₀ yielding ADP^.+‐C₆₀^.? is energetically favorable. By using femtosecond laser flash photolysis, concrete evidence has been obtained for the occurrence of energy transfer from ¹BDP* to ADP in the dyad BDP‐ADP and electron transfer from ¹ADP* to C₆₀ in the dyad ADP‐C₆₀. Sequential energy and electron transfer have also been clearly observed in the triad BDP‐ADP‐C₆₀. By monitoring the rise of ADP emission, it has been found that the rate of energy transfer is fast (≈10¹¹ s^?1). The dynamics of electron transfer through ¹ADP* has also been studied by monitoring the formation of C₆₀ radical anion at 1000 nm. A fast charge‐separation process from ¹ADP* to C₆₀ has been detected, which gives the relatively long‐lived BDP‐ADP^.+C₆₀^.? with a lifetime of 1.47 ns. As shown by nanosecond transient absorption measurements, the charge‐separated state decays slowly to populate mainly the triplet state of ADP before returning to the ground state. These findings show that the dyads BDP‐ADP and ADP‐C₆₀, and the triad BDP‐ADP‐C₆₀ are interesting artificial analogues that can mimic the antenna and reaction center of the natural photosynthetic systems.     

Regulation of Multicolor Fluorescence Changes Found in Donor-acceptor-type Mechanochromic Fluorescent Dyes

The regulation of multicolor fluorescence changes in mechanochromic fluorescence (MCF) remains a challenging task. Herein, we report the regulation of MCF using a donor-acceptor structure. Two crystal polymorphs, BTD-pCHO(O) and BTD-pCHO(R) produced by the introduction of formyl groups to an MCF dye, respond to a mechanical stimulus, allowing a three-color fluorescence change. Specifically, the orange-colored fluorescence of the metastable BTD-pCHO(O) polymorph changed to a deep-red color in the amorphous-like state to finally give a red color in the stable BTD-pCHO(R) polymorph. This change occurred by mechanical grinding followed by vapor fuming. The two different crystal packing patterns were selectively regulated by the electronic effect of the introduced functional groups. The two types of selectively formed crystals in BTD(F)-pCHO bearing fluorine atoms, and BTD(OMe)-pCHO bearing methoxy groups, respond to mechanical grinding, allowing for the regulation of multicolor MCL from a three-color change to two different types of two-color changes.     

In vivo estimation of optical properties of rat liver using single-reflectance fiber probe during ischemia and reperfusion

Optical Review - To quantify the changes in optical properties of in vivo rat liver tissue, we applied diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) system using single-reflectance fiber probe during...     

Isotopic dependence of the giant monopole resonance in the even-A 112-124Sn isotopes and the asymmetry term in nuclear incompressibility

The strength distributions of the giant monopole resonance (GMR) have been measured in the even-A Sn isotopes (A=112-124) with inelastic scattering of 400-MeV alpha particles in the angular range 0 degrees -8.5 degrees . We find that the experimentally observed GMR energies of the Sn isotopes are lower than the values predicted by theoretical calculations that reproduce the GMR energies in 208Pb and 90Zr very well. From the GMR data, a value of Ktau = -550 +/- 100 MeV is obtained for the asymmetry term in the nuclear incompressibility.     

Colorimetric detection of Cu2+ using of a mixture of ponceau 6R and a cationic polyelectrolyte in aqueous solution

Journal of Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry - A colorimetric chemosensor is reported for Cu2+ by a simple mixture of two commercially available reagents, ponceau 6R (P6R) and...     

In vivo multispectral imaging of the absorption and scattering properties of exposed brain using a digital red–green–blue camera

Optical Review - To evaluate multi-spectral images of the absorption and scattering properties in the cerebral cortex of rat brain, we investigated spectral reflectance images estimated by the...     

Robust Inclusion Complexes of Crown Ether Fused Tetrathiafulvalenes with Li+@C60 to Afford Efficient Photodriven Charge Separation

Inclusion complexes of benzo‐ and dithiabenzo‐crown ether functionalized monopyrrolotetrathiafulvalene (MPTTF) molecules were formed with Li⁺@C₆₀ ( 1? Li⁺@C₆₀ and 2? Li⁺@C₆₀). The strong complexation has been quantified by high binding constants that exceed 10⁶ M ^?1 obtained by UV/Vis titrations in benzonitrile (PhCN) at room temperature. On the basis of DFT studies at the B3LYP/6‐311G(d,p) level, the orbital interactions between the crown ether moieties and the π surface of the fullerene together with the endohedral Li⁺ have a crucial role in robust complex formation. Interestingly, complexation of Li⁺@C₆₀ with crown ethers accelerates the intersystem crossing upon photoexcitation of the complex, thereby yielding ³(Li⁺@C₆₀)*, when no charge separation by means of ¹Li⁺@C₆₀* occurs. Photoinduced charge separation by means of ³Li⁺@C₆₀* with lifetimes of 135 and 120 μs for 1? Li⁺@C₆₀ and 2? Li⁺@C₆₀, respectively, and quantum yields of 0.82 in PhCN have been observed by utilizing time‐resolved transient absorption spectroscopy and then confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance measurements at 4 K. The difference in crown ether structures affects the binding constant and the rates of photoinduced electron‐transfer events in the corresponding complex.     

Luminous Butterflies: Efficient Exciton Harvesting by Benzophenone Derivatives for Full‐Color Delayed Fluorescence OLEDs

Butterfly‐shaped luminescent benzophenone derivatives with small energy gaps between their singlet and triplet excited states are used to achieve efficient full‐color delayed fluorescence. Organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) with these benzophenone derivatives doped in the emissive layer can generate electroluminescence ranging from blue to orange–red and white, with maximum external quantum efficiencies of up to 14.3 %. Triplet excitons are efficiently harvested through delayed fluorescence channels.     

Organic Dicarboxylate Negative Electrode Materials with Remarkably Small Strain for High‐Voltage Bipolar Batteries

As advanced negative electrodes for powerful and useful high‐voltage bipolar batteries, an intercalated metal–organic framework (iMOF), 2,6‐naphthalene dicarboxylate dilithium, is described which has an organic‐inorganic layered structure of π‐stacked naphthalene and tetrahedral LiO₄ units. The material shows a reversible two‐electron‐transfer Li intercalation at a flat potential of 0.8 V with a small polarization. Detailed crystal structure analysis during Li intercalation shows the layered framework to be maintained and its volume change is only 0.33 %. The material possesses two‐dimensional pathways for efficient electron and Li⁺ transport formed by Li‐doped naphthalene packing and tetrahedral LiO₃C network. A cell with a high potential operating LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ spinel positive and the proposed negative electrodes exhibited favorable cycle performance (96 % capacity retention after 100 cycles), high specific energy (300 Wh kg^?1), and high specific power (5 kW kg^?1). An 8 V bipolar cell was also constructed by connecting only two cells in series.