Essential Amino Acid–Enabled Lead Bromide Perovskite Nanocrystals with High Stability

This work reports the first synthesis of MAPbBr₃ perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) using amino acids as the ligand with excellent optical properties. A variety of amino acids are used to optimize the luminescence properties. A mechanochemical approach has taken lead over conventional colloidal chemistry during synthesis. All morphological and optical studies are performed to characterize the synthesized perovskite nanoparticles. Later, stability studies are investigated through thermogravimetric analysis, temperature‐dependent photoluminescence, time‐dependent X‐ray diffraction, as well as X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In an application, interestingly, these perovskites show high luminescence upon scratching on flexible conducting plates and on plain paper surface. These results suggest that the amino acid–ligated perovskite nanocrystals can be potential materials for optoelectronic application including light‐emitting diodes and imaging.     

Crystal field in RPdIn (R=Ce, Pr, Nd) compounds

The RPdIn compounds (R = rare earth) crystallise in the hexagonal ZrNiAl-type crystal structure. The compounds from this family exhibit a great variety of interesting magnetic properties including heavy fermion behaviour. In order to get a deeper insight into nature of magnetism of RPdIn with light rare earths elements (La–Nd) an inelastic neutron scattering experiment was performed. For compounds with Pr and Nd excitations due to crystal field were clearly distinguished. On the other hand, interesting behaviour for the CePdIn sample was observed. The sample exhibits no signs of crystal field excitations, likely due to highly delocalised Ce 4f states leading to its heavy fermion behaviour.     

Polyphenols and Visual Health: Potential Effects on Degenerative Retinal Diseases

Dietary polyphenols are a group of natural compounds that have been proposed to have beneficial effects on human health. They were first known for their antioxidant properties, but several studies over the years have shown that these compounds can exert protective effects against chronic diseases. Nonetheless, the mechanisms underlying these potential benefits are still uncertain and contradictory effects have been reported. In this review, we analyze the potential effects of polyphenol compounds on some visual diseases, with a special focus on retinal degenerative diseases. Current effective therapies for the treatment of such retinal diseases are lacking and new strategies need to be developed. For this reason, there is currently a renewed interest in finding novel ligands (or known ligands with previously unexpected features) that could bind to retinal photoreceptors and modulate their molecular properties. Some polyphenols, especially flavonoids (e.g., quercetin and tannic acid), could attenuate light-induced receptor damage and promote visual health benefits. Recent evidence suggests that certain flavonoids could help stabilize the correctly folded conformation of the visual photoreceptor protein rhodopsin and offset the deleterious effect of retinitis pigmentosa mutations. In this regard, certain polyphenols, like the flavonoids mentioned before, have been shown to improve the stability, expression, regeneration and folding of rhodopsin mutants in experimental in vitro studies. Moreover, these compounds appear to improve the integration of the receptor into the cell membrane while acting against oxidative stress at the same time. We anticipate that polyphenol compounds can be used to target visual photoreceptor proteins, such as rhodopsin, in a way that has only been recently proposed and that these can be used in novel approaches for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases like retinitis pigmentosa; however, studies in this field are limited and further research is needed in order to properly characterize the effects of these compounds on retinal degenerative diseases through the proposed mechanisms.     

Different two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks through ligand modification

Through ligand modification, we have replaced the central benzene ring of H₂TDBA ([1,1′:3′,1″-terphenyl]-4,4″-dicarboxylic acid) with the pyridine structurally related ligand H₂PDDA (4,4′-(pyridine-2,6-diyl)dibenzoic acid), which makes the central pyridine ring of H₂PDDA more coplanar with two benzene rings on both sides of the ligand. The modification results in a dramatically different linkage configuration, thereby allowing structural changes to the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Two 2-D MOFs, [Cu(TDBA)(DMA)₂]·H₂O (BUT-221, DMA = N,N-dimethylacetamide), and [Cu₃(PDDA)₃(DMA)₂(H₂O)]·5H₂O (BUT-223) have been synthesized through reactions of two ditopic carboxylate ligands with Cu(NO₃)₂·3H₂O under solvothermal conditions, and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and infrared spectroscopy. Topological analysis shows that BUT-221 is a twofold parallel interpenetrating 4⁴ 2-D network with a skl topology, while BUT-223 is a 2-D network with a kgm topology.     

A New Class of Amide Ligands Enable Cu‐Catalyzed Coupling of Sodium Methanesulfinate with (Hetero)aryl Chlorides

((2S ,4R )‐4‐Hydroxy‐N ‐(2‐methylnaphthalen‐1‐yl)pyrrolidine‐2‐carboxamide (HMNPC), an amide derived from 4‐hydroxy‐L ‐proline and 2‐methyl naphthalen‐1‐amine, is a powerful ligand for Cu‐catalyzed coupling of (hetero)aryl halides with sulfinic acid salts, allowing for first time the metal‐catalyzed coupling of (hetero)aryl chlorides and NaSO₂Me. A considerable number of (hetero)aryl chlorides worked well, providing the pharmaceutically important (hetero)aryl methylsulfones in good to excellent yields.     

Chiral bicyclic imidazolium salts as a new class of N-heterocyclic carbene precursors

A N(1)-C(5) bridged chiral bicyclic imidazole with a morpholine framework was synthesized from an enantiopure 2-amino alcohol. The resultant imidazole reacted with various electrophiles, including primary and secondary alkyl halides, benzyne, and an electron-deficient aryl halide, to give the corresponding imidazolium salts. Some of the imidazolium salts were found to have potential as the precursor of a chiral N-heterocyclic carbene catalyst; by the direct annulation of an enal and a ketone through the intermediacy of a homoenolate and an activated carboxylate, the target lactone was obtained in an enantiomerically enriched form (up to 66% ee).     

新型L-羟脯氨酸聚合物键合手性固定相的制备及对手性化合物的拆分

以单分散亲水性交联聚甲基丙烯酸环氧丙酯-甲基丙烯酸乙二醇双酯(PGMA/EDMA)树脂为载体,制备新型L-羟脯氨酸聚合物键合高效手性配体交换固定相。该固定相在配体交换分离模式下,以0.2mol/LNaAc和0.1mmol/LCu(Ac)2水溶液(pH5.2)为流动相,柱温为30℃～50℃,对衍生和非衍生的D,L-氨基酸和α-羟基酸等9种手性化合物进行了高效液相色谱拆分。详细考察了流动相pH值、温度、流速和进样量对手性分离的影响,选择了合适的色谱分离条件。结果表明,所拆分的9种手性化合物,有5种手性化合物能得到基线分离,最好的分离因子α=2.32。     

Novel single-crystal-to-single-crystal anion exchange and self-assembly of luminescent d(10) metal (Cd(II), Zn(II), and Cu(I)) complexes containing C(3)-symmetrical ligands

Ligands L1 and L2' (L1=N,N',N'-tris(4-pyridyl)trimesic amide, L2'=N,N',N'-tris(3-pyridinyl)-1,3,5-benzenetricarboxamide) belonging to an interesting family of tripyridyltriamides with C(3)-symmetry have been utilized to construct 3D porous or hydrogen-bonded frameworks. Through a novel single-crystal-to-single-crystal anion-exchange process, [Cd(L1)(2)(ClO(4))(2)](n) (1c) can be obtained from [Cd(L1)(2)Cl(2)](n) (1b) in the presence of ClO(4)(-) anions. This anion-exchange process is highly selective and only the substitution of Cl(-) by ClO(4)(-) or PF(6)(-) could be realized; Cl(-) was found not to be substituted by BPh(4)(-). This demonstrates that the exchange process depends on the size of the anions in relation to the size of the cavities in the host material (ca. 7.5 A). In addition, the anion-exchange properties of 1 b have also been investigated by means of powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), elemental analysis (EA), and infrared absorption spectroscopy (IR). Structurally, [Zn(L1)(NO(3))(2)](n)(2) consists of a 2D coordination network with five-coordinate Zn(II) ions. Surprisingly, different trigonal-bipyramidal Zn(II) ions propagate to form distinct respective sheet structures, A and B, which are packed in an A-B-A-B manner in the crystal lattice, and these are hydrogen-bonded to give a 3D extended framework. The molecular structure of [CuI(L2')](n)(3) shows that the Cu(I) ion adopts a distorted tetrahedral geometry, and 3 also forms a 2D coordination network. Significantly, this 2D coordination network is further assembled into a remarkable 3D homochiral framework through triple hydrogen bonding and pi...pi interactions. All of these 3D coordination polymers and/or hydrogen-bonded frameworks are luminescent in the solid state, and their solid-state luminescent properties have been investigated at room temperature and/or at 77 K.     

A molecular orbital rationalization of ligand effects in N2 activation

Molecular orbital theory has been used to study a series of [(micro-N2){ML3}2] complexes as models for dinitrogen activation, with M=Mo, Ta, W, Re and L=NH2, PH2, AsH2, SbH2 and N(BH2)2. The main aims of this study have been to provide a thorough electronic analysis of the complexes and to extend previous work involving molecular orbital analyses. Molecular orbital diagrams have been used to rationalize why for L=NH2 ligand rotation is important for the singlet state but not the triplet, to confirm the effect of ligand pi donation, and to rationalize the importance of the metal d-electron configuration. The outcomes of this study will assist with a more in-depth understanding of the electronic basis for N2 activation and allow clearer predictions to be made about the structure and multiplicity of systems involved in transition-metal catalysis.     

4-Amino-l,2,4-triazole Resin-supported Palladium Complex as Phosphine-free Catalyst for Suzuki Reaction in Aqueous Phase

1 Introduction The Suzuki cross-coupling reaction is a powerful and versatile method for the generation of unsymme-trical biaryls from arylboronic acids and aryl halides in a single step~([1-3]).However,the reaction is usually performed in the presence of Pd catalyst along with phosphine ligand,which sometimes creates practical problems because organophosphines tend to be expensive,poisonous,and air sensitive.Recently,phosphine-free ligands,such as nitrogen or sulfur-containing ligands~([4-6]) and N-heterocyclic car-benes~([7-12]) have been applied in Suzuki reaction effectively.