New pinene-derived pyridines as bidentate chiral ligands

A synthesis of new bidentate pyridines 8a-d, 9, and 10 has been developed, starting from triflate 14, readily available from β-pinene 11. A copper complex of the pyridine-oxazoline ligands 8a has been found to catalyze asymmetric allylic oxidation of cyclic olefins 36a-c with good conversion rates and acceptable enantioselectivity (≤67% ee). The imidazolium salt 10 has been identified as a precursor of the corresponding N,N′-unsymmetrical N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, whose complex with palladium catalyzed the intramolecular amide enolate α-arylation leading to oxindole 45 in excellent yield but with low enantioselectivity.     

2-(1-Isopropyl-2-benzimidazolyl)-6-(1-aryliminoethyl)pyridyl transition metal (Fe, Co, and Ni) dichlorides: Syntheses, characterizations and their catalytic behaviors toward ethylene reactivity

A series of 2-(1-isopropyl-2-benzimidazolyl)-6-(1-aryliminoethyl)pyridyl metal complexes [iron (II) (1a-6a), cobalt (II) (1b-6b) and nickel (II) (1c-6c)] were synthesized and fully characterized by elemental and spectroscopic analyses. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses of five coordinated complexes 5a, 3b, 5b, 1c and 2c reveal 5a and 5b as distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry, and 3b, 1c and 2c as distorted square pyramidal geometry. All complexes performed ethylene reactivity with the assistance of various organoaluminums. The iron complexes displayed good activities in the presence of MAO and MMAO. Upon activated by Et₂AlCl, the cobalt analogues showed moderate ethylene reactivity, while the nickel analogues exhibited relatively higher activities.     

Conformational reactions of D2-symmetric twisted acenes

Computational analyses of the longitudinally twisted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 9,18-diphenyltetrabenz[a,c,h,j]anthracene (1), 9,10,19,20-tetraphenyltetrabenzo[a,c,j,l]naphthacene (2), and 9,10,11,20,21,22-hexaphenyltetrabenzo[a,c,l,n]pentacene (3) were performed at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. Ground state and transition state structures were located for two classes of conformational reactions in these molecules: twist inversions (enantiomerization or racemization reactions) and phenyl rotations, and the free energies of activation for these processes were calculated. Where possible, the computational results were compared with both new and existing experimental data for the rates of these conformational reactions. Multiple pathways were identified for some processes, but the low-energy transition states were often quite different from those that common chemical intuition might suggest.     

Effect of hetero atom on the conformational stability of the forming ring in the transition structures of Type-II ene cyclization: a theoretical study

The chair conformation of the forming ring in the transition structure, for its high stability, is usually considered for the determination of the overall stereoselectivity in a type-II ene cyclization reaction. However, present theoretical investigation reveals that the presence of a heteroatom like oxygen or nitrogen in the tether of type-II carbonyl ene cyclization stabilizes the transition structure, in which the forming ring adopts a boat conformation. Due to such stability of the boat conformer the overall stereoselectivity of some type-II reactions may differ from the expected one.     

Ab initio study of structures and energies of Al2H4 and Al2H 4 −

The low-lying isomers of Al₂H₄ and their anions are investigated with the hybrid density functional B3LYP, the coupled-cluster CCSD and CCSD(T) methods, and the electron propagator theory. The positive adiabatic electron affinities 5,798 and 10,112 cm⁻¹ are predicted for the neutral C_2v and D_2d symmetric isomers, respectively. The D_2h symmetric anion is more stable by 852 cm⁻¹ than the C_2v symmetric anion. The photodetachment spectra for Al₂H₄⁻ anions at the C_2v and D_2h symmetries are simulated on the basis of the Franck–Condon factor calculations, indicating a reasonable way to study the transition state of the intramolecular torsion process     

Flame spray pyrolysis for the one-step fabrication of transition metal oxide films: Recent progress in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical water splitting

Developing large scale deposition techniques to fabricate thin porous films with suitable opto-electro nic properties for water catalysis is a necessity to mitigate climate change and have a sustainable environment.In this review,flame spray pyrolysis(FSP)technique,a rapid and scalable methodology to synthesize nanostructured transitional metal oxide films with designed functionalities,is firstly introduced.Furthermore,applications in electrochemical(EC)and photoelectrochemical(PEC)water splitting for the production of hydrogen fuel is also presented.The high combustion temperature and the aggregation of flame aerosol ensure that the FSP-made films possess high crystallinity,tunable porosity and high surface areas,making this method suitable either as catalysts for EC water splitting or as efficient semiconductor materials for PEC water splitting.Finally,a perspective on the next generation FSP engineered films with potential applications in energy storage and conversion is described.     

Recent advances in carbon-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Fuel cells are one of the most promising clean energy devices to substitute for fossil fuel in the future to alleviate energy crisis and environmental pollution.As the key reaction on the cathode in the fuel cells,oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) still requires efficient noble metal catalysts such as the comme rcial Pt/C to boost the reaction for its sluggish kinetics.Therefore,it is critical to design earth-abundant carbonbased catalysts with high efficiency and long-term stability to replace the...     

Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes of new [1+1] and [2+2] macrocyclic ligands derived from 1,4-bis(2′-formylphenyl)-1,4-dioxabutane and cis-1,2-diaminocyclohexane

Two new macrocyclic ligands, L¹ (14-membered N₂O₂) and L² (28-membered N₄O₄) from [1+1] and [2+2] condensation, respectively, have been obtained in a one-pot synthesis starting from 1,4-bis(2′-formylphenyl)-1,4-dioxabutane and cis-1,2-diaminocyclohexane.     

过渡金属杂苯化合物的结构特点及芳香性

本文综述了近年来发现的一类新的过渡金属有机物—金属杂苯化合物的合成、晶体结构、谱学信息、芳香性及化学反应性。     

A comparative study of the bond strengths of the second row transition metal hydrides,fluorides, and chlorides

Summary Correlated calculations have been performed for the diatomic second row transition metal hydrides, fluorides, and chlorides. The ground states have been determined for the entire second row from yttrium to palladium. It is found that the halide binding energies vary much more across the row than the hydride binding energies. The results are analyzed in terms of ionic and covalent contributions to the bonding. The two main factors responsible for the large variation of the halide binding energies are differences in ionization energies and differences in the interactions between the halide lone-pairs and the metal 4d-orbitals for the atoms to the left and to the right. To the left the lone-pair interaction is attractive through electron donation to empty 4d-orbitals, whereas to the right the interaction is repulsive.