STUDY ON THE OVERALL PRESSURE BALANCE OF A DOWNFLOW CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED SYSTEM

A pressure balance model for a circulating fluidized bed unit that incorporates a downer has been proposed. The model predictions were validated with the experimental data obtained from a special cold-model circulating fluidized bed. Comparison of the operation stability between a CFB downer and a CFB riser has been carried out. Only one critical gas velocity exists in the CFB-riser for a given riser solids flux, while there can be many critical gas velocities for the operation of a CFB downer. Therefore, it is possible to achieve high solids concentration in a CFB downer if appropriate operating conditions are used.     

A Facile and Universal Top‐Down Method for Preparation of Monodisperse Transition‐Metal Dichalcogenide Nanodots

Despite unique properties of layered transition‐metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanosheets, there is still lack of a facile and general strategy for the preparation of TMD nanodots (NDs). Reported herein is the preparation of a series of TMD NDs, including TMD quantum dots (e.g. MoS₂, WS₂, ReS₂, TaS₂, MoSe₂ and WSe₂) and NbSe₂ NDs, from their bulk crystals by using a combination of grinding and sonication techniques. These NDs could be easily separated from the N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone when post‐treated with n‐hexane and then chloroform. All the TMD NDs with sizes of less than 10 nm show a narrow size distribution with high dispersity in solution. As a proof‐of‐concept application, memory devices using TMD NDs, for example, MoSe₂, WS₂, or NbSe₂, mixed with polyvinylpyrrolidone as active layers, have been fabricated, which exhibit a nonvolatile write‐once‐read‐many behavior. These high‐quality TMD NDs should have various applications in optoelectronics, solar cells, catalysis, and biomedicine.     

Large Optical Nonlinearity Induced by Singlet Fission in Pentacene Films

By creating two triplet excitons from one photo‐excited singlet exciton, singlet fission in organic semiconductors has drawn tremendous attention for its potential applications in boosting the efficiency of solar conversion. Here, we show that this carrier‐multiplication effect can also be used to dramatically improve the nonlinear optical response in organic materials. We have observed large optical nonlinearity with a magnitude of χ⁽³⁾ up to 10^?9 esu in pentacene films, which is further shown to be a result of singlet fission by monitoring the temporal dynamics. The potential application of such efficient nonlinear optical response has been demonstrated with a singlet‐fission‐induced polarization rotation.     

A Porous Tricyclooxacalixarene Cage Based on Tetraphenylethylene

A quadrangular prismatic tricyclooxacalixarene cage 1 based on tetraphenylethylene (TPE) was efficiently synthesized by a one‐pot S_NAr condensation reaction. As a result of the porous internal structure in the solid state, cage 1 exhibited a good CO₂ uptake capacity of 12.5 wt % and a high selectivity for CO₂ over N₂ adsorption of 80 (273 K, 1 bar) with a BET surface area of 432 m² g^?1. Formation of cage 1 led to the fluorescence of TPE being switched on in solution. The system was employed as a single‐molecule platform to study the mechanism of aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) by examining the restriction of intramolecular rotation (RIR).     

Enantioselective Synthesis of Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters: Addition of 3‐Substituted Oxindoles to Vinyl Sulfone Catalyzed by Pentanidiums

A pentanidium‐catalyzed highly enantioselective conjugate addition of 3‐alkyloxindoles to phenyl vinyl sulfone has been demonstrated. This approach allows the construction of 3,3‐dialkyl‐substituted oxindole frameworks with high yield and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99 %) under simple phase‐transfer conditions. A variety of oxindoles bearing all‐carbon quaternary stereogenic centers were obtained in the presence of 0.25 mol % pentanidium. Meanwhile, practicality was illustrated by a gram‐scale asymmetric synthesis of two 3,3‐dialkyl‐substituted oxindoles. The resulting adduct can be smoothly transformed to the natural product analogue in a short synthetic route.     

Mono‐, di‐ and trimethylated homologues of isoprenoid tetraether lipid cores in archaea and environmental samples: mass spectrometric identification and significance

Higher homologues of widely reported C₈₆ isoprenoid diglycerol tetraether lipid cores, containing 0–6 cyclopentyl rings, have been identified in (hyper)thermophilic archaea, representing up to 21% of total tetraether lipids in the cells. Liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry confirms that the additional carbon atoms in the C_87‐88 homologues are located in the etherified chains. Structures identified include dialkyl and monoalkyl (‘H‐shaped’) tetraethers containing C_40‐42 or C_81‐82 hydrocarbons, respectively, many representing novel compounds. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometric analysis of hydrocarbons released from the lipid cores by ether cleavage suggests that the C₄₀ chains are biphytanes and the C₄₁ chains 13‐methylbiphytanes. Multiple isomers, having different chain combinations, were recognised among the dialkyl lipids. Methylated tetraethers are produced by Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus in varying proportions depending on growth conditions, suggesting that methylation may be an adaptive mechanism to regulate cellular function. The detection of methylated lipids in Pyrobaculum sp. AQ1.S2 and Sulfolobus acidocaldarius represents the first reported occurrences in Crenarchaeota. Soils and aquatic sediments from geographically distinct mesotemperate environments that were screened for homologues contained monomethylated tetraethers, with di‐ and trimethylated structures being detected occasionally. The structural diversity and range of occurrences of the C_87‐89 tetraethers highlight their potential as complementary biomarkers for archaea in natural environments. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reversing the Stereoselectivity of a Palladium‐Catalyzed O‐Glycosylation through an Inner‐Sphere or Outer‐Sphere Pathway

An efficient and concise method for the construction of various O‐glycosidic bonds by a palladium‐catalyzed reaction with a 3‐O‐picoloyl glucal has been developed. The stereochemistry of the anomeric center derives from either an inner‐sphere or outer‐sphere pathway. Harder nucleophiles, such as aliphatic alcohols and sodium phenoxides give β‐products, and α products result from using softer nucleophiles, such as phenol.     

Catalytic Asymmetric Intramolecular Homologation of Ketones with α‐Diazoesters: Synthesis of Cyclic α‐Aryl/Alkyl β‐Ketoesters

A catalytic asymmetric intramolecular homologation of simple ketones with α‐diazoesters was firstly accomplished with a chiral N,N′‐dioxide–Sc(OTf)₃ complex. This method provides an efficient access to chiral cyclic α‐aryl/alkyl β‐ketoesters containing an all‐carbon quaternary stereocenter. Under mild conditions, a variety of aryl‐ and alkyl‐substituted ketone groups reacted with α‐diazoester groups smoothly through an intramolecular addition/rearrangement process, producing the β‐ketoesters in high yield and enantiomeric excess.