Comment on “A Novel and Simple Solvent‐Free Method for Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution of Inactive Aryl Halides”

Inability to reproduce the results of Ref. 1 is reported.     

Palladium-catalyzed C–S bond formation by using N-amido imidazolium salts as ligands

N-Amido imidazolium salt was employed as a ligand in the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of aryl halides and thiols, and showed good activity in the formation of thioether. The best combination for the coupling with aryl bromides was N-amido imidazolium salt 2 and NaHMDS, and that for the coupling with aryl iodides was N-amido imidazolium salt 1 and KO^tBu. The coupling reactions were conducted in the presence of Pd(OAc)₂ (1 mol %) in DMSO at 80 °C for 12 h.     

Freezing and Hydrate Formation in Aqueous Sodium Perchlorate Solutions

The determination of the phase diagram of the binary system sodium perchlorate – water is reported. Beside the eutectic point, two polymorph crystal structures of sodium perchlorate dihydrate were determined. The two crystal structures are discussed, compared to each other and to other known sodiumhalide dihydrate crystal structures. The two polymorphs of the perchlorate dihydrate represent the two variants of connected octahedra in the layer structure found for sodium halide dihydrates.     

Copper-mediated cyanation reactions

Aryl nitriles can be efficiently synthesized through transition-metal-mediated cyanation of aryl halides, arenes, aryl boronic acids, and so on. Among those most commonly used transition-metals, copper catalysts are surely much more inexpensive and easier to handle, compared to any other metal catalysts. Considering the high-efficiency of copper catalysts in the activation of C–X, C–H, and C–B bond as well as in the formation of C–CN bond, this Letter summarizes various copper-mediated cyanations based on the different kinds of cyanide reagents, such as metal cyanides, potassium hexacyanoferrate(II), acetone cyanohydrins, DDQ, AIBN, benzyl cyanide, malononitrile, nitromethane, and DMF. Our group’s recent contributions to this area are also demonstrated.     

Ternary zero-dimensional hybrid metal halides with dual emission

Bulk assemblies of zero-dimensional (0D) metal halides with ‘host-guest’ system provide a promising platform for rationally structural tunability and photoluminescence modulation. In this work, we first report a series of ternary 0D metal halides, (bmpy)₉[Pb₃Cl₁₁](MnCl₄)_2-2x(SbCl₅)_2x (bmpy⁺ = 1-buty-1-methylpyrrolidinium⁺, C₉NH₂₀⁺), where the organic cation bmpy⁺ cocrystallizes with [Pb₃Cl₁₁]^5- trimer clusters, [MnCl₄]^2? tetrahedra, and [SbCl₅]^2? pyramids. The emission color of (bmpy)₉[Pb₃Cl₁₁](MnCl₄)_2-2x(SbCl₅)_2x can be easily tuned from green to warm white and finally to orange-red by controlling the excitation wavelength or the [SbCl₅]^2?/[MnCl₄]^2? molar ratio, promising its potential for application in multicolor light-emitting devices or even in encrypting multilevel optical codes. This work presents a novel structural modulation strategy to fabricate superior ordered single-crystalline multicomponent materials with multifunctionalities of 0D luminescent metal halides.     

Expanding the 0D Rb7M3X16 (M=Sb,Bi; X=Br,I) Family: Dual-Band Luminescence in Rb7Sb3Br16

Inorganic, lead-free metal halides are widely sought after following the rise of the halide perovskites as outstanding optoelectronic materials, due to their enhanced stability and reduced toxicity. Herein, we report on the solvothermal synthesis of Rb₇Sb₃Br₁₆, which exhibits a 0D structure comprised of [SbBr₆]³⁻ octahedra and edge-sharing bioctahedra [Sb₂Br₁₀]⁴⁻ dimers that order into layers along the c-axis. This all-inorganic material is air-stable and exhibits weak orange photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature. Low-temperature PL and PL excitation (PLE) measurements reveal the presence of two distinct emission bands that originate from these structural units, with the high-energy emission quenching as temperature rises beyond 150 K. We are also able to obtain Rb₇Bi₃Br₁₆ and Rb₇Bi₃I₁₆ which both crystallize in orthorhombic symmetry, with Rb₇Bi₃Br₁₆ presenting weak low-temperature luminescence while Rb₇Bi₃I₁₆ is non-luminescent. This work expands the library of emissive inorganic metal halides and provides further evidence for the efficacy of low-dimensional Sb−X luminescent centers based on octahedral and edge-sharing [Sb₂X₁₀]⁴⁻ dimers.     

Halide ion effect on the chloroform chemical shift in supramolecular complexation studies with tetra-n-butylammonium salts: a 1H NMR and X-ray study

A ¹H NMR spectroscopic study of tetra-n-butylammonium halides (TBAX: X = Cl^? , Br^?  or I^? ) in CDCl₃ solutions was conducted. Complexation studies of TBAX salts with different host molecules using ¹H NMR in CDCl₃ have previously revealed that the reference residual CHCl₃ proton signal had been shifted downfield. The aim of the study was to quantify the extent of these chemical shift changes with TBAX salts. Linear concentration–chemical shift relationships in each case were obtained from the resulting titration plots obtained from the addition of the TBAX salts alone to CDCl₃. Interactions in the solid state as determined by X-ray crystallography support the solution-state investigations indicating halide ion–chloroform proton interactions.     

AgI Microplate Monocrystals with Polar {0001} Facets: Spontaneous Photocarrier Separation and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

Elucidating the facet‐dependent photocatalytic activity of semiconductor photocatalysts is important in improving the overall efficiency of photocatalysis. Furthermore, combining facet control with selective deposition of oxidation and/or reduction cocatalysts on specific faces of semiconductor photocatalysts is potentially an effective strategy to synergistically optimize the functionality of photocatalysts. In the present study, high‐purity wurtzite‐type β‐AgI platelet microcrystals with polar {0001} facets were prepared by a facile polyvinylpyrrolidone‐assisted precipitation reaction. The polar‐faceted AgI microplates were used as archetypes to demonstrate preferential diametric migration (i.e., effective separation) of photogenerated electrons and holes along the c axis. Such vectorial electron–hole separation stems from the asymmetric surface structures, which give rise to distinct photoexcited reaction behaviors on the ±(0001) polar facets of wurtzite‐type semiconductors. Furthermore, on selective deposition of Ag and MnO_x (1.5<x<2) cocatalysts on the reductive (0001) and oxidative (000$\bar 1$ ) facets, respectively, photocatalytic activity of the AgI microplates in degrading organic pollutants was dramatically enhanced thanks to the broad light‐absorption range, strong dye‐adsorption ability, and effective spatial separation of photocarriers.     

Metal‐Catalyzed Reductive Coupling Reactions of Organic Halides with Carbonyl‐Type Compounds

Metal‐catalyzed reductive coupling reactions of aryl halides and (pseudo)halides with carbonyl‐type compounds have undergone an impressive development within the last years. These methodologies have shown to be a powerful alternate strategy, practicality aside, to the use of stoichiometric, well‐defined, and, in some cases, air‐sensitive organometallic species. In this Minireview, the recent findings in this field are summarized, with particular emphasis on the mechanistic interpretation of the results and future aspects of this area of expertise.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Heck‐Type Cross‐Couplings of Unactivated Alkyl Iodides

A palladium‐catalyzed, intermolecular Heck‐type coupling of alkyl iodides and alkenes is described. This process is successful with a variety of primary and secondary unactivated alkyl iodides as reaction partners, including those with hydrogen atoms in the β position. The mild catalytic conditions enable intermolecular C? C bond formations with a diverse set of alkyl iodides and alkenes, including substrates containing base‐ or nucleophile‐sensitive functionality.