Nitrogen‐Doped Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Supported Bimetallic PtCo Nanoparticles for Upgrading of Biophenolics

Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is an attractive route for the upgrading of bio‐oils produced from lignocellulose. Current catalysts require harsh conditions to effect HDO, decreasing the process efficiency in terms of energy and carbon balance. Herein we report a novel and facile method for synthesizing bimetallic PtCo nanoparticle catalysts (ca. 1.5 nm) highly dispersed in the framework of nitrogen‐doped ordered mesoporous carbon (NOMC) for this reaction. We demonstrate that NOMC with either 2D hexagonal (p6m) or 3D cubic (Im m) structure can be easily synthesized by simply adjusting the polymerization temperature. We also demonstrate that PtCo/NOMC (metal loading: Pt 9.90 wt %; Co 3.31 wt %) is a highly effective catalyst for HDO of phenolic compounds and “real‐world” biomass‐derived phenolic streams. In the presence of PtCo/NOMC, full deoxygenation of phenolic compounds and a biomass‐derived phenolic stream is achieved under conditions of low severity.     

A Supramolecularly Activated Radical Cation for Accelerated Catalytic Oxidation

Tuning the activity of radicals is crucial for radical reactions and radical‐based materials. Herein, we report a supramolecular strategy to accelerate the Fenton reaction through the construction of supramolecularly activated radical cations. As a proof of the concept, cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) was introduced, through host–guest interactions, onto each side of a derivative of 1,4‐diketopyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole (DPP), a model dye for Fenton oxidation. The DPP radical cation, the key intermediate in the oxidation process, was activated by the electrostatically negative carbonyl groups of CB[7]. The activation induced a drastic decrease in the apparent activation energy and greatly increased the reaction rate. This facile supramolecular strategy is a promising method for promoting radical reactions. It may also open up a new route for the catalytic oxidation of organic pollutants for water purification and widen the realm of supramolecular catalysis.     

Electronic properties of polyoxometalate derivatives [(C2B9H11) M'M5O18]n‐ (M' = TiIV,MoVI, WVI; M = MoVI,WVI): Protonation,Electronic Spectra,and Redox Properties

Density functional theory is used to study the electronic structures and properties of Lindqvist‐type polyoxometalates‐supported organometallic compounds [LM'M₅O₁₈]^n– (L = [C₂B₉H₁₁]^2– (Cb), [C₅H₅]^– (Cp); M' = Ti^IV, Mo^VI, W^VI; M = Mo^VI, W^VI). [(Cb)M'M₅O₁₈]^n– are a series of novel compounds designed in this work, based on related experiment. The calculated results reveal that the Cb ligand is able to form a σ, 2π triple bond with M', which is similar to the bond character in [(Cp)M'M₅O₁₈]^n–. However, comparing with the protonation, electronic spectra and redox properties of [(Cp)M'M₅O₁₈]^n– and [M'M₅O₁₉]^n–, [(Cb)M'M₅O₁₈]^n– species show the advantageous electronic properties owning to the superior electron donating ability of the Cb ligand. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Fabrication of Boron Nitride Nanosheets by Exfoliation

Nanomaterials with layered structures, with their intriguing properties, are of great research interest nowadays. As one of the primary two‐dimensional nanomaterials, the hexagonal boron nitride nanosheet (BNNS, also called white graphene), which is an analogue of graphene, possesses various attractive properties, such as high intrinsic thermal conductivity, excellent chemical and thermal stability, and electrical insulation properties. After being discovered, it has been one of the most intensively studied two‐dimensional non‐carbon nanomaterials and has been applied in a wide range of applications. To support the exploration of applications of BNNSs, exfoliation, as one of the most promising approaches to realize large‐scale production of BNNSs, has been intensively investigated. In this review, methods to yield BNNSs by exfoliation will be summarized and compared with other potential fabrication methods of BNNSs. In addition, the future prospects of the exfoliation of h‐BN will also be discussed.     

Novel and potent Lewis acid catalyst: Br2-catalyzed Friedel–Crafts reactions of naphthols with aldehydes

A discovery that the inexpensive Br₂ can serve as a potent Lewis acid catalyst for bis(2-hydroxy-1-naphthyl)methanes synthesis is presented. Under the catalysis of Br₂ at room temperature, naphthols reacted smoothly with various aldehydes with high efficiency and broad substrate scope. This reaction used to require highly acidic conditions and/or high temperature and/or pressure, and sometimes featured poor yields. Moreover, theoretical calculations suggested that Br₂ is a potent Lewis acid to activate the carbonyl group, yet it was not the primary cause for the remarkable activity of Br₂ in the current communication.     

Determination of chlorpyrifos in soils using multi-throughput dynamic microwave-assisted extraction coupled online with salting-out-assisted liquid–liquid extraction followed by LC–MS/MS

A simple and rapid method based on multi-throughput dynamic microwave-assisted extraction coupled online with salting-out-assisted liquid–liquid extraction was developed for the analysis of chlorpyrifos in soil. First, the chlorpyrifos was extracted with acetonitrile aqueous (50%, v/v) under the action of microwave energy. Then the obtained extract was separated clearly and easily into an acetonitrile phase and an aqueous phase with the assistance of ammonium acetate. The acetonitrile phase containing chlorpyrifos was concentrated and determined by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The effects of parameters on extraction efficiency including microwave power, extraction solvent, volumes and flow rate of extraction solvent, sample pH, types and amount of salt were studied and optimised. To eliminate the matrix effect, validation of the method was carried out using the matrix-based calibration curve. The limits of detection and quantification for chlorpyrifos were 0.17 and 0.5 ng g^?1, respectively. The proposed method was applied to analyse chlorpyrifos in five soil samples and verified by the recovery test. The recoveries of chlorpyrifos at three spiked levels (5, 50, 200 ng g^?1) were in the range of 90.0–100.5%, with relative standard deviations varying from 1.3% to 5.7%. Compared with the methods reported previously, the proposed method can simplify the operation procedure and reduce solvent consumption in sample pretreatment.     

Structure elucidation and NMR assignments of a new 6,9-cyclotetrahydrofuranlignan from Syringa pinnatifolia

A new 6,9-cyclotetrahydrofuranlignan, 3,3′-dimethoxy-4,4′-dihydroxy-8β,9β,8′α-6,9-cyclotetrahydrofuranlignan, was isolated from the stem of Syringa pinnatifolia Hems1.var. alashanensis MA. et S. Q. ZHOU. Its structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods including UV, IR, ESI-MS, 1D NMR and 2D NMR.     

Syntheses and photocatalytic performances of four coordination complexes constructed from 1,10-phenanthroline and polycarboxylic acids

Four coordination complexes of copper(II) and iron(II), namely [CuCl(phen)₂](5-NO₂-Hipa)·2H₂O (BUC-10), [Cu(phen)(3,4-H₂dczpb)(H₂O)]·H₂O (BUC-11), [Fe(phen)(L)(H₂O)]₂ (BUC-12), and [Fe(phen)₃](3,4-H₃dczpb)₂·0.6H₂O (BUC-13) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline; 5-NO₂-H₂ipa = 5-nitroisophthalic acid; 3,4-H₄dczpb = 3,4-dicarboxyl-(3′,4′-dicarboxylazophenyl) benzene; L = 6,12-dihydroxy-1,2,6,12-tetrahydroindazolo[2,1-a]indazole-1,7-dicarboxylic acid), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. All four complexes were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, FTIR, elemental analysis and UV–Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy. The photocatalytic performances of the complexes for decomposition of methylene blue under UV irradiation were also investigated.     

Biosynthetic approach to modeling and understanding metalloproteins using unnatural amino acids

Metalloproteins have inspired chemists for many years to synthesize artificial catalysts that mimic native enzymes.As a complementary approach to studying native enzymes or making synthetic models,biosynthetic approach using small and stable proteins to model native enzymes has offered advantages of incorporating non-covalent secondary sphere interactions under physiological conditions.However,most biosynthetic models are restricted to natural amino acids.To overcome this limitation,incorporating unnatural amino acids into the biosynthetic models has shown promises.In this review,we summarize first synthetic,semisynthetic and biological methods of incorporates unnatural amino acids(UAAs)into proteins,followed by progress made in incorporating UAAs into both native metalloproteins and their biosynthetic models to fine-tune functional properties beyond native enzymes or their variants containing natural amino acids,such as reduction potentials of azurin,O_2 reduction rates and percentages of product formation of HCO models in Mb,the rate of radical transport in ribonucleotide reductase(RNR)and the proton and electron transfer pathways in photosystemⅡ(PSⅡ).We also discuss how this endeavour has allowed systematic investigations of precise roles of conserved residues in metalloproteins,such as Metl21 in azurin,Tyr244 that is cross-linked to one of the three His ligands to CuB in HCO,Tyr122,356,730 and 731 in RNR and TyrZ in PSⅡ.These examples have demonstrated that incorporating UAAs has provided a new dimension in our efforts to mimic native enzymes and in providing deeper insights into structural features responsible high enzymatic activity and reaction mechanisms,making it possible to design highly efficient artificial catalysts with similar or even higher activity than native enzymes.     

The synthesis of a [2.2]paracyclophane-derived secondary phosphine oxide and a study of its reactivity

A planar chiral secondary phosphine oxide based on [2.2]paracyclophane was synthesized and its chemistry investigated; it was shown to be a competent pre-ligand in palladium(0)-mediated reactions, and displayed promising activity in gold(I)-catalysed cyclisations. The secondary phosphine oxide could be transformed into a collection of P-stereogenic tertiary phosphine oxides. These are rare examples of the planar chirality of [2.2]paracyclophane being combined with a P-stereogenic centre. Unfortunately, epimerisation of the phosphorus stereocentre during reduction limits the use of this chemistry.