Domino Radical Addition/Oxidation Sequence with Photocatalysis: One‐Pot Synthesis of Polysubstituted Furans from α‐Chloro‐Alkyl Ketones and Styrenes

A new domino reaction has been developed that allows the combination of styrenes and α‐alkyl ketone radicals to afford a wide array of polysubstituted furans in good to excellent yields under mild and simple reaction conditions. The key to success of this novel protocol is the use of photocatalyst fac‐Ir(ppy)₃ and oxidant K₂S₂O₈. Mechanistic studies by a radical scavenger and photoluminescence quenching suggest that a radical addition/oxidation pathway is operable.     

Catalytic carbon dioxide hydrogenation to methane: A review of recent studies

Recently,various efforts have been put forward on the development of technologies for the synthesis of methane from CO₂ and H₂,since it can offer a solution for renewable H₂ storage and transportation.In parallel,this reaction is considered to be a critical step in reclaiming oxygen within a closed cycle.Over the years,extensive fundamental research works on CO₂ methanation have been investigated and reported in the literatures.In this updated review,we present a comprehensive overview of recent publications during the last 3 years.Various aspects on this reaction system are described in detail,such as thermodynamic considerations,catalyst innovations,the influence of reaction conditions,overall catalytic performance,and reaction mechanism.Finally,the future development of CO₂ methanation is discussed.     

Dinuclear Cu(II) complexes based on p‐xylylene‐bridged bis(1,4,7‐triazacyclononane) ligands: Synthesis,characterization, DNA cleavage abilities and evaluation of superoxide dismutase‐ and catalase‐like activities

Three new dinuclear Cu(II) complexes with the formulas [Cu₂(pxdmbtacn)Cl₄] ( 1 ), [Cu₂(pxdmbtacn)Cl_0.7(NO₃)_1.3(OH)₂(H₂O)_1.3]?6H₂O ( 2 ) and [Cu₂(pxdiprbtacn)Cl₄] ( 3 ) together with one previously reported complex, [Cu₂(pxbtacn)Cl₄] ( 4 ), were obtained from Cu(II) salts with three p‐xylylene‐bridged bis‐tacn ligands bearing pendant alkyl substituents or without pendant group. Complex 2 was structurally characterized as a centrosymmetric dinuclear molecule with each metal center being coordinated to some labile ligands in addition to one tacn ring. Based on the results of mass spectrometry and UV–visible spectroscopy, complexes 1 and 3 are capable of existing in aqueous solution as dinuclear species but 4 can partially form a dimer of the original dinuclear motif. Complexes 1 , 3 and 4 can all effectively cleave supercoiled DNA oxidatively in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities of 1 and 3 measured under physiological conditions are comparable to that of the native CuZnSOD enzyme but the enzymatic activity of 4 is about three‐ to fourfold lower. Furthermore, complexes 1 , 3 and 4 demonstrate moderate scavenging effect on hydrogen peroxide and their catalase activities are in the decreasing order of 3 > 1 > 4 .     

Chemoselective hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with modified Pd/C catalyst

Selective hydrogenation of α, β-unsaturated aldehydes with modified Pd/C catalyst was developed.The reduction of C=O bond could be efficiently inhibited by the addition of carbonates,and high selectivity to the corresponding saturated aldehydes was achieved under mild conditions.This protocol provides an alternative for efficient preparation of saturated aldehydes.     

Synthesis of 2-aminooxazolines from isonitriles and iodine

A novel one-pot protocol for the synthesis of substituted 2-aminooxazoline from isonitriles and 2-aminoethanol was developed and the reactions involved imidoyl diiodide intermediates,which were generated by mixing isonitriles and iodine in CH₂C1₂ at room temperature.     

Opinion dynamics in networks with heterogeneous confidence and influence

We propose a discrete-time model of opinion dynamics. The neighborhood relationship is decided by confidence radius and influence radius of each agent. We investigate the influence of heterogeneity in confidence/influence distribution on the behavior of the network. The simulations suggest that the heterogeneity of single confidence or influence networks can promote the opinions to achieve consensus. It is shown that the heterogeneous influence radius systems converge in fewer time steps and more often in finite time than the heterogeneous confidence radius systems. We find that heterogeneity does not always promote consensus, and there is an optimal heterogeneity so that the relative size of the largest consensus cluster reaches maximum in heterogeneous confidence and influence networks.     

Polymerizable Molecular Silsesquioxane Cage Armored Hybrid Microcapsules with In Situ Shell Functionalization

We prepared core–shell polymer–silsesquioxane hybrid microcapsules from cage‐like methacryloxypropyl silsesquioxanes (CMSQs) and styrene (St). The presence of CMSQ can moderately reduce the interfacial tension between St and water and help to emulsify the monomer prior to polymerization. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and TEM analysis demonstrated that uniform core–shell latex particles were achieved. The polymer latex particles were subsequently transformed into well‐defined hollow nanospheres by removing the polystyrene (PS) core with 1:1 ethanol/cyclohexane. High‐resolution TEM and nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis showed that the final nanospheres possessed hollow cavities and had porous shells; the pore size was approximately 2–3 nm. The nanospheres exhibited large surface areas (up to 486 m² g^?1) and preferential adsorption, and they demonstrated the highest reported methylene blue adsorption capacity (95.1 mg g^?1). Moreover, the uniform distribution of the methacryloyl moiety on the hollow nanospheres endowed them with more potential properties. These results could provide a new benchmark for preparing hollow microspheres by a facile one‐step template‐free method for various applications.