Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Novel Mixed-metal Alkoxide Clusters of Ytterbium and Sodium: Yb4O4（OiPr）16Na12

The mixed-metal cluster Yb4O4(OiPr)16Na12 has been synthesized and structurally determined by IR, elemental analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal belongs to the cubic system, space group P23 with a = b = c = 13.9788(3), V = 2731.55(10)3 , Z = 1, Dc = 1.202 g/cm 3 , Mr = 1977.42, = 3.480 mm-1 , F(000) = 972, the final R = 0.0288 and wR = 0.1511 for 1677 observed reflections with Ⅰ > 2σ(Ⅰ). X-ray analysis reveals that Yb4O4 (OiPr)16Na12 is centrosym-metric and the structure contains four ytterbium metals and twelve sodium metals, and each ytterbium atom is coordinated by six oxygen atoms. In addition, an ancillary computational analysis of the optimized molecular unit was provided. The large energy gap (3.31 eV) between HOMO and LUMO indicates that the structure framework is particularly stable.     

Comparison of BOD optical fiber biosensors based on different microorganisms immobilized in ormosil matrixes

Fiber-optical microbial sensors for determination of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) are described. Sensing films consisting of layers of an oxygen-sensitive fluorescent material and two different kinds of seawater microorganisms immobilized in poly(vinyl alcohol) sol–gel matrix were investigated. Tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II) perchlorate was used as the oxygen fluorescent quenching indicator. After preconditioning, the BOD biosensors could consistently perform well for up to one month. For films of domestic bacilli and films of sieved bacteria from seawater, the linear fluctuant coefficients (R ²) in the range of 4–200?mg/L were 0.9975 and 0.9783 when a glucose/glutamate BOD standard was applied. The relative error of standard deviations for the two microorganism-immobilized BOD sensing films were within 4%?and 2%?of the mean value, respectively. The effects of temperature, pH and sodium chloride concentration on the two microbial films were also studied. For low biochemical oxygen demand, a film of sieved bacteria from seawater had superior sensitivity and is expected to be developed further.     

The importance of molecular complexity in the design of screening libraries

The one-dimensional model of Hann et al. (J Chem Inf Comput Sci 41(3):856–864) has been extended to include reverse binding and wrap-around interaction modes between the protein and ligand to explore the complete combinatorial matrix of molecular recognition. The cumulative distribution function of the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution has been used to calculate the probability of measuring the sensitivity of the interactions as the asymptotic limits of the distribution better describe the behavior of the interactions under experimental conditions. Based on our model, we hypothesized that molecules of lower complexity are preferred for target based screening campaigns, while augmenting such a library with moieties of moderate complexities maybe better suited for phenotypic screens. The validity of the hypothesis has been assessed via the analysis of the hit rate profiles for four ChemBL datasets for enzymatic and phenotypic screens.     

The preparation and characterization graphene-cross-linked phenol–formaldehyde hybrid carbon xerogels

A new synthesis route based on polycondensation of phenol and formaldehyde cross-linked by graphene oxide (GO) was developed. Wet gel after gelation was converted into an organic xerogel by ambient pressure drying to obtain GO-cross-linked phenol–formaldehyde (PF) organic xerogels (GOCPFOX). Graphene-cross-linked PF carbon xerogels (GCPFCX) were produced by carbonization. The morphology and chemical structure of GOCPFOX and GCPFCX were analyzed. The electrochemical behavior of GCPFCX as an electrode material in electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) was investigated. Results show that the high mechanical strength of GO increased the gel skeleton strength; thus, organic xerogels exhibit very low drying shrinkage. Scanning electron micrographs indicated that addition of GO altered the gel structure. Thus, when GO was added into the PF solution, the PF molecular chains were anchored on the surface of GO by chemical and physical interaction. The GCPFCX-10 sample achieved the highest specific surface area, mesoporous volume, and specific capacity with 378 m²/g, 0.56 cm³/g, and 116 F/g, respectively. Hence, GCPFCX is a potential material for EDLCs owing to its low production cost and ability to avoid supercritical drying.     

Excellent degradation performance of azo dye by metallic glass/titanium dioxide composite powders

The metallic glass/titanium dioxide powders (MG/TiO₂) with enhanced photocatalytic oxidation activity were synthesized, which exhibit a higher efficiency in decolorizing methylene blue solutions (MB). Compared with the pure TiO₂ and crystalline alloy/TiO₂ (CA/TiO₂) under the same circumstances, its degradation rate was 60 % and 30 % higher, respectively. Furthermore, compared with the CA/TiO₂, the MG/TiO₂ photocatalytic rate was three times faster when decolorizing MB. Considering the excellent intrinsic high-performance photocatalytic degradation under visible light irradiation, these novel powders were proven to have potential applications in water purification industry.     

Dynamic Electrosorption Analysis as an Effective Means to Characterise the Structure of Bulk Graphene Assemblies

Restacking of graphene sheets to a graphite‐like structure is a prevailing problem that is known to compromise the performance of individual graphene sheets in an assembled bulk form. To address this common problem efficiently and monitor the structure and quality of graphene products comprehensively, it is highly desirable to develop reliable metrology techniques for characterising graphene‐based materials on a bulk assembly level and in a quantitative manner. Here, by revisiting the physicochemical principle of electrosorption, we propose a simple electrochemical approach, namely dynamic electrosorption analysis (DEA), as an easily accessible and effective technique for evaluation of the self‐stacking behaviour of graphene. Taking multilayered chemically converted graphene films as a model, we demonstrate that the DEA technique can effectively reveal very subtle variation in accessible surface area and pore size of graphene assemblies in the liquid phase and thus can provide useful insights to the experimental design relating to restacking control. This work also reveals the huge effect some routine processing conditions, such as heat treatment and drying, can have on the structure and performance of graphene‐based bulk materials, providing useful guidance for future manufacturing of this class of materials.     

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (−)‐Blennolide A

Blennolide A can be synthesized through an enantioselective domino‐Wacker/carbonylation/methoxylation reaction of 7 a with 96 % ee and an enantioselective Wacker oxidation of 7 b with 89 % ee. Further transformations led to the α,β‐unsaturated ester (E)‐ 17 , which was subjected to a highly selective Michael addition, introducing a methyl group to give 18 a . After a threefold oxidation and an intramolecular acylation, the tetrahydroxanthenone 4 was obtained, which could be transformed into (?)‐blennolide A (ent‐ 1 ) in a few steps.     

Using “Threading Followed by Shrinking” to Synthesize Highly Stable Dialkylammonium‐Ion‐Based Rotaxanes

Herein, we report a “threading followed by shrinking” approach for the synthesis of rotaxanes by using an “oxygen‐deficient” macrocycle that contained two arylmethyl sulfone units and the dumbbell‐shaped salt bis(3,5‐dimethylbenzyl)ammonium tetrakis(3,5‐trifluoromethylphenyl)borate as the host and guest components, respectively. The extrusion of SO₂ from both of the arylmethyl sulfone units of the macrocyclic component in the corresponding [2]pseudorotaxane resulted in a [2]rotaxane that was sufficiently stable to maintain its molecular integrity in CD₃SOCD₃ at 393 K for at least 5 h.     

火焰原子吸收法直接测定铅酸蓄电池用硫酸中铁

建立了火焰原子吸收光谱法直接测定H2SO4中Fe的方法。采用蓄电池用H2SO4样品直接配制标准加入法系列溶液,用火焰原子吸收光谱法直接测定蓄电池用H2SO4中的Fe含量。在选定的仪器测定条件下,采用标准加入法所测得的蓄电池用H2SO4中的Fe含量与国标法所测得的结果相比较无显著性差异,检出限为0.060μg/mL(n=13),1.00μg/mL Fe标准溶液平行测定13次,所得吸光度的相对标准偏差为3.3%(n=13)。本法可应用于H2SO4样品中Fe的测定。